Who knew?
by KarmaPolice
Summary: Neon Orange hair, Bad attitude, and the girl that knew their whole past. What happens when a girl haunted by visions goes back to the past to see what they mean?She knows things about Naraku, Sesshomaru, Inuyasha and the Gang that they might not even know
1. Chapter 1 This sucks

_Job hunting. Fun. The never endless strings of rejection, denial, and eventually settling down with misery. Fine, but whatever the case, I am NOT working at McDonalds. _

_Ok, so maybe I should have worn something a tad more professional … Whatever. _

Faith was the emblem of everything NOT to hire. From her shaggy, neon orange hair, to her rainbow necklace and her "Fuck you" attire, she wasn't exactly gung ho with the 'fitting in' aspect of society. What most did not know, however, was her secret. Faith, despite her dry sarcasm and seemingly hard-ass attitude, actually helped people. She had premonitions, _**visions**, _if you will. And lately, her visions were all kinds of fucked up, even for her.

_A tall man with streaming white hair and a white kimono decorated with pink sakuras. Two swords, specially crafted for him hung loosely at his waist. Strange markings claimed his narrow features, and who could forget those piercing gold eyes? In the visions, he was always accompanied by two beings, one, a little girl who's innocent banter could drive a therapist to insanity. Ok, granted, she was cute, but still. And the second being an odd frog looking creature with the voice pitched solely for the desire of aggravation. Another was of a man clad in what her time would call 'Gothic Attire'. Long, black hair hung carelessly down his back. Pale, porcelain skin which was accentuated by his intimidating red eyes. 'Definitely hot.' Flashes of the past streamed before her: A man lying in a cave wrapped like a mummy in bandages. A woman dressed as a priestess aiding him. Alone, he silently confessed his feelings. Demons! Hordes of demons attacked him as he obediently laid there. Flash. The mysterious pale figure stood at the cliff edge, plotting his discreet murder of the woman that aided him. Flash. A man with long white hair and puppy ears kissing the woman that was with the mummy. Flash. Attack. Flash, the man was pinned to a tree by an arrow. Flash. The woman's last request for something to be burned with her body. Flash. The dog boy was awakened by a little school girl. Flash. They met a monk with a black hole embodied in his hand. Flash. A tiny fox demon? Flash. A woman with what appeared to be a giant boomerang fighting alongside her brother. Flash. All dead. Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash. _

Enough!

"Damn. More of those visions." Faith said, while crouching down on the pavement outside of a local bookstore. Some of the people that passed her cast her worried glances, but her glare quickly sent them on their way. _I'm going to go home, wash up, and see if sensei can help me figure all of this crap out. _Faith was an Empath in training. She had the premonitions, she had the spells, now all she needed to do was to learn how to channel other people's feelings as if she cared. She could do it, it's the caring part that took a lot of work. _I guess the job hunting will have to wait another day. Darn._ She thought sarcastically.

"Yo." Was all she said entering her Sensei's home. She slipped off her shoes and made her way over to the corner of the room where he is was meditating. He didn't open his eyes. Sadly, he was already used to her barging in whenever, and making herself at home. He didn't really mind, it would just be nice to have a "Hello, Sensei! How wonderful it is to see you and your glorious self today! I need your help oh great one, please lend me your guidance!" every once in a while in a cute little school girl uniform, pigtails and the cutest smile in the world, giggling merrily …. "Wake up, you freak!" Faith hit him on the head, knocking him out of his daydreams.

_Nope. Same old Faith _He sighed sadly. "Good evening, Faith. Did you need something?"

"Ok, so you remember those visions I told you about?"

"The visions of the demons?"

"Yeah, sure. Those." _Why does he assume they are demons? Presumptuous bastard …_

"Of course, what about them?"

"Where ever these visions are coming from, I need to get there. They are driving me nuts and completely interfering with my life."

"But, did you not say they were of the past? Surely you do not want to go back? What good could it possibly do? What is done, is done."

"Ok, I'm going to say this as politely as possible. I don't give a damn about your opinion, and I sure as hell didn't ask for your permission," _Hey, that rhymed_ "I want to know how, when and how soon I can get there. Don't make me kick your ass."

Got him!

"No, no, no! That's quite alright, really. No need of violence!" He said hurriedly. She had quite the temper. _Wasn't the Sensei supposed to control the pupil, Not the other way around? _

"Good, now help me."

"Sit here, I will make you some tea, and by tomorrow you will be god knows where doing god knows what with god knows who."

"Yeah, got it. God knows. So I'm going to the past?"

"Against better judgment, Looks like it."

"Yay me!" She said dryly.

"Yay you …" he repeated, equally unenthusiastic.


	2. Chapter 2 Ready to go?

"Who Knew" Chapter 2

The following day was spent drinking tea, a little sparring and a few 'choice' words thrown at the lovely Sensei.

"You are NOT talking me out of this. I told you, I'm going, that's it. I can take care of myself. If I can handle your perverted ass, I can handle anything the past can throw at me." She said with a playful smirk. It's true. He was a pervert. Had a little too many obsessions involving little, 'innocent' girls. Some would go so far as to say he was creepy. Yep, they would be right …

Despite her attempts, he managed to keep whining. "But. I. Want. To. Go. Let me go, pl-e-a-s-e-e-e?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty Ple.."

"No!"

He crossed his arms. "Well, it makes no difference what YOU want. I am your Sensei, and what I say goes. And I'm going."

THUMP!

"You might want to get off of the floor then, old man." Faith said after a major thump to the head. He groaned on the floor trying to get off the floor with as much dignity as he could muster. Which, granted, wasn't much.

"Fine. Go off, and have your little fun. I have things to do anyway."

"Yeah, like what? Visit the local schools trying to be the 'comfort' to all those innocent school girls? You're disgusting."

He giggled, "Oh, come now, Faith. You are far too serious. Why would _I_ be so _low?_" He continued to giggle.

"Anyway, In order for you to go the time you desire to go to, you need to focus on a specific place. Perhaps one of the places you saw in your visions? Concentrate in the shakra circle, and I will meditate my energy to converge your energy with that of the sparring intervals that may cause a slight rip in the time continuum so that you may pass through undetected and unobtrusive." Her sensei said after the giggle fest subsided.

She just stared at him dumbly.

"I'm going to make you go way, way back in the past by thinking _really _hard." He spoke condescendingly.

"Sweet. Let's do it, old man."

_When is Kagome going to be back? Inuyasha thought. The hanyou she saw from her visions was sitting by the edge of the well patiently waiting the return of Kagome. Not. He's been bitching the entire time. "Calm down Inuyasha, she said she'd be back in a little while." Shippo said. "Keh." Was all his response. _

_There, that's where I'll go. They were sitting at that well through out a lot of my visions. I can probably catch them there. Hopefully. _

"Ok, got it. Now what?" Faith said impatiently.

"You be quiet, and wait."  
"For?"

"This …"

After a moment of silence Faith felt her skin being pricked by a million invisible needles. Traveling through "portals" was only meant to be done astrally, not physically. The human body could only take so much stress. The taste of bitter bile weld up in her throat in competition with the dizziness threatening to take her consciousness. Skin crackling, burning fever, ear splitting rips, bones reshaping, nausea, and blindness. Yep, Time travel was **fun. **

That's all for chapter two. The characters of Inuyasha will finally appear in the third chapter. Sorry for such a drawn out intro. RR, please!


	3. Chapter 3 Pleasantries, Ugh

"Ok, I could definitely go without ever doing that again." Faith exhaled. The scent of mold overtook her senses. She opened her eyes, and threw the dust off of her now ripped black pants. She stood up to her full height, a full 5'5. Wow. Intimidating.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she realized she was in a well? _This must be the well from my visions._ She thought. Grasping the frail, wooden nubs, she holstered herself over the cold stone edge. The sunlight was blinding, cascading over the affluent jade grass. The canopies of trees hid the chaste colors of the sky. Something that is usually covered by smog and tall buildings in the future. "Wow … this … is amazing!" She breathed. The warmth of the sunlight washed over her body, giving her cold hands a tingling sensation that almost made her giggle. _Absolutely beautiful._

Far off, she heard the voices she recognized from her vision.

"Kagome, stay here, I smell something." Inuyasha said, a hint of worry tinged his voice. "What do you mean, Inuyasha?" Kagome said innocently.

"Just wait here, will ya?" He said.

"You don't have to be so rude about it, you know?"

"Quiet …" He gritted.

_So, ok, that's Inuyasha and Kagome. I wonder where Sango and Miroku are? _

She looked behind her to see Inuyasha striding up to her. Suspicious eyes glaring at her. "Oi! Who are you?" He said insolently.

"Faith." She said in matter-a-fact tone, as if it were supposed to answer everything.

"Who the hell is Faith?" He replied angrily.

"Um, me. We just went over this, Inuyasha."

"Hey! How do you know my name?" Inuyasha exclaimed. Surprise etched his face, and gave a very foolish edge to his tough act.

"Oh, right. That." She laughed nervously. "Ok, well … It's hard to explain, really."

"Get to it! You don't smell like a demon!" He shouted impatiently.

"Thank you, I take that as a compliment, hanyou." She continued, "And can you please … for the love of Buddha, stop SHOUTING?"

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked meekly.

"Stay out of this Kagome, there's something weird about this **human.**" Inuyasha barked, stressing the word human as if it were a bad thing.

"You're Kagome?" Faith asked, well, demanded.

"Yes! Hi! Erm, do I know you?" She said as friendly as possible.

"No, but I know you. It's complicated. Can we go somewhere to talk?" _Good, right to the point. _

She nodded as Inuyasha continued to glare. _Remind me why I did this again? Sensei was right, what purpose was there for me to come here? This was a mistake. _

The three walked through the forest until they reached a small camp fire where Faith recognized Miroku, Shippo, Sango, and Kirara.

She surveyed them all, measuring their strength and trying to decipher which vibe goes with who.

_Whoa! There is some major physical attraction here. Somebody is giving off desperate vibes …_

Before she could figure out who's, it was answered for her.

"Hello, young lady. Would you … bare my children?" The monk said sweetly.

"I would hit you, but Sango will in about half a second." Faith replied, equally angelic.

THUMP!

"Why you …!" Sango gritted.

"Hey!" She suddenly said, "How did you know I was going to do that?" Sango inquired. You could almost see the light bulb go off above her head.

"You do it a lot, hit him I mean. Should have known that's where those creepy vibes were coming from." Faith replied.

'_Vibes?'_ Kagome wondered.

Miroku blushed. _Good, hopefully he will discover the emotion of shame. Pervert. Kind of handsome, though. _

"Too bad, you're kind of cute." Faith said teasingly to Miroku causing his blush to deepen.

Jealousy was drenching Sango's aura. _Yeesh, calm down woman._

"No worries, Sango. He's all yours."  
Now it was her turn to blush, "Wah? Wha …what's that supposed to mean?" She stammered. Faith just grinned.

"Enough, wench. Tell me who you are so we can get going!" Inuyasha interrupted.

Faith held up her hands in surrender. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to ask if I can tag along. You see, I'm from Kagome's time, and I need answers."

_This is awkward,_ Faith thought.

_Great, I have to put up with her! _Inuyasha thought glaringly.

"To what, Faith?" Kagome ventured.

"I have no idea." She admitted.


	4. Chapter 4 A battle of the Chips

Faith explained about her visions, and how she came through to this time. The others gathered around her, listening attentively, with the occasional complaint from Inuyasha that was silenced with Kagome's admonishment. It was only a few hours before night fall, the air held a secretive chill that increased with time. The light of the campfire began to illuminate the faces around it as time progressed. The leaves surrounding the fire were blazing in sacrifice. She was beginning to wish she wore something more suitable for the cold air. For some reason, her thin spaghetti strap wasn't doing the trick.

"So, your visions, what do they mean?" Kagome questioned.

"That's the thing, I have no clue whatsoever! That's why I came here in all of my starving glory!" Faith proclaimed with mock diligence. As if on cue, Faith's stomach growled to back up her claim of hunger.

"Oh! Here, I have some chips. I brought them back with me, would you like some?" Kagome offered. _She's not as bad as I thought. She's ok, I guess. _

Kagome was digging around in an oversized yellow back. After a few minutes of rummaging, she finally found what she was looking for, a look of triumph engraved on her face. "Damn …" Faith whispered in quiet amazement. _How much stuff does a girl need? _

"Sweet … thanks Kagome." Faith said off-handily.

Not a moment longer, and she was stuffing her face. _No wonder demons think they are superior, they just have to watch somebody like her eat, _Inuyasha thought, her ability to gulp down food quite surpassed his own.

"Hey! Don't eat all of them, you pig!" Inuyasha whined. "Wait a minute! Save some for me!"

She stared at him quietly, chips that were crammed tightly her mouth began to spill out. "Oh … you want some?" Faith offered, if anybody could understand what she was saying with her mouth full. "Fetch." Was all she said once the last bit had traveled down her throat. She through the bag behind her, and to her surprise, for a moment, Inuyasha actually had the look of an excited puppy getting ready to embark on a quest of the Fetch. He grabbed the bag hastily only to find it empty. "Hey!" He yelled. Faith looked at him innocently. "What?" was all she said before he lunged at her. "You jerk! You ate all of them?" He yelled. He went to tackle her as she side stepped out of his way, causing him to crash to the ground. He stood up shakily. "Why you …" he gritted. "Inuyasha …" Kagome cooed sweetly. His face suddenly was filled with fear. "No, wait, Kagome!" "Sit, Boy!" She proclaimed proudly.

_I don't care what anybody says, that will NEVER get old_ Faith thought while laughing. The begrudged hanyou just laid there, defeat and anger blended together as his body twitched involuntarily. "Why you!" He grumbled. "Calm down, pup. There will be more." Faith said. She leaned in on Kagome and whispered, "There will be more, right?" Kagome just smiled and nodded happily. "I'll go get some." She whispered back. The two girls giggled.

"That Inuyasha, such a temper." Miroku tsked. _Oh wow, _Faith thought, _I forgot they were here. _"Tell me about it." Sango agreed.

"So, gang. As fun as this is, what are we going to do?" Faith broke in. "What do you mean?" Miroku inquired. "About these visions. I'm here, I'm cold. I'm confused. So, what are we going to do?" Faith asked, she continued, "Am I just going to tag along?" "No!" "Of course, Faith." Inuyasha and Kagome spoke at the same time causing a glare from both of them. "All in favor of Kagome's word over Inuyasha, say 'I'." Faith said. Miroku, Sango and Shippo all joined in on the chorus of "I." Faith had the most obnoxious grin on her face. "Here she comes to wreck the Day!" Faith sung.

They all sweat-dropped.


	5. Chapter 5 Peace anyone?

It was decided, Faith was the newest member of this little gang bit. She would never admit it, but she was actually kind of excited. She's never really had friends. Or, family for that matter. Her Sensei was the closest she ever thought she would get to family. It was a new adventure. A new experience. She would try to enjoy it to it's fullest if her and Inuyasha didn't rip each other's throats out first.

They all sat around the fire in a feeble attempt at keeping warm. Small conversation about what everyone would be doing tomorrow, and some more gossip about the jewel shards. Faith suspected that Kagome wanted her to "Bond," whatever that meant.

Faith redundantly scanned everyone in order to figure them out. Studying mannerisms, speech, vibes, that sort of thing. It was hard to concentrate, however, because she wasn't the only one studying. Miroku seemed to return the favor.

"Yo," Faith nodded carelessly towards the monk. _He's been staring at me all night. He gives me the creeps … Wait, is he blushing? _Faith wondered.

"Hey, Monk dude, cool it down over there. You're vibes are making it hard to concentrate." She told him.

"My vibes?" Miroku responded. "What exactly do you mean by 'my vibes?' Can you sense my spiritual energy?" He asked. "Duh." Was all Faith said. He continued to stare at her, Sango watching from the corner of her eye the entire time. _Is he going to go after her, too? _Sango sighed. _It would typical, that lecherous monk …_

"Fine," Faith gave in, "I'm an Empath. It's kind of my job to feel what other people are feeling. I hate it, I have to act like I care." She stated, boredom dripping from every word. "Why is that?" Miroku asked. "Why is what?" she countered. "Why must you act? Do you feel so little?" He asked genuinely. "Hey! I've got feelings, ok? I'm loaded with feelings. I'm a big pile of feelings over here. Don't tell me otherwise." Miroku got the hint and backed off. Faith has always been touchy when it came to her "feelings." It was hard to be open with people. It's not that she didn't like them, she just didn't trust them. Her Sensei once accused her of being cold-hearted, and he would have no idea how much that hurt her.

Not that she'd show it.

_I wonder what is bothering Faith, _Kagome wondered, _She seems so lonely. It's my job to make her feel welcome!_ She decided triumphantly. _It's no wonder if she feels unwelcome. She's new to this era, like I was and I'm sure Inuyasha isn't helping any. _

"Kagome?" Faith reached. Kagome jumped as she was yanked out of her thoughts. "You ok? You look like you're spacing."

"Oh! Yes, I'm fine! Thank you." Kagome replied, a reassuring smile plastered on to her face. "Whatever, just making sure." Faith dismissed. "Where's Inuyasha?" She asked, realizing he's been gone for quite a while. "Inuyasha? Oh, he's probably up in some tree brooding." Kagome assured.

Faith got up to go look for him. "Be back in a sec, don't wait up." Was all she said over her shoulder as she entered the forest. Not a moment later she saw his shadow reflected from the moon. Sure enough, he was sitting in a tree brooding. _What a dork._

"Hey … What are you doing up there?" Faith asked

"What does it look like, wench." Inuyasha retorted.

"Want some company?" She offered, call it a 'Peace Offering'

"Feh! As if." He scoffed.

_Too bad, _She thought as she began to climb the tree.

Finally after a few minutes of scratches, breaking branches and a few mumbled _shits_, she made it to Inuyasha.

He just glared at her.

She held her hands up in surrender. _"_Hey!" she laughed, "I never claimed to be stealthy."

"Good thing, 'cause you'd be lying." He glared.

She giggled, "True, True."

"What are you doi …" He was cut off,

"Shut up, you talk too much." Was all she whispered as she laid her head on his shoulder. _He smells funny,_ she laughed. He just stared at her, confused as hell. They sat and listened to the others talk, the miscellanous bugs make their eclectic sounds, the fire crackle, and the occasional giggle from Faith when she couldn't control her thoughts.

_Well, I'll be damned_, Faith reflected. They shared the same thought at that moment …

_We are actually getting along. _

...

I wanted to say thank you to the crazy awesome people who wrote reviews for my story!

Killnarakusetmefree

Shadowofabrokenangel

and

Darkanimeangel003

You guys are so awesome! Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6 damn hormones!

_**Chapter 6.**_

_**Disclaimer: This is not a love story between Inuyasha and Faith. It may seem like that, but there are a world of possibilities. Sorry the chapters are so short, I started college and I don't have much time, so I'm trying my best to update every night. Sorry! **_

_Warm arms, tangled together. She grasped his back, clawing for more. She moved up closer, their bodies clinging to one another. Desperation and hunger surrounded them. Passion, desire. This was it. This was all there was in the world. Him and her. He looked in her eyes. His golden orbs dove into her pale green eyes. He whispered, 'Get up.' She looked at him in confusion. 'what?' she replied. He whispered seductively, 'Get up, you are drooling on me …' _

Inuyasha growled in annoyance. "Wake up!" Her eyes shot open and she held him by the throat instantly. "Faith, let. Go. Of. Me. Can't. Breath." She looked at him, eyes wide in confusion. She let go immediately. "What?" She yelled. "We fell asleep. You were making weird noises." Inuyasha quieted her. She realized it was a dream. She had a dream about **him. **She squealed. "Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Fucking disgusting, get out of my brain. Get out of my brain!" She yelled in a panic. "What are you yapping about? I'm the one with the drool on me." He tossed. "Oh my gods, I am in a serious need of some action. A boyfriend or **something**. _Preferably the latter._ Anyone but you." She choked out. "Huh?" He looked at her in confusion. He quickly regained a look of arrogance and continued, "Feh. Like I'd want you anyway." He retorted. She turned to him and with realization, she glared. She shoved him so hard, he almost fell out of the tree. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm not good enough for you, is that it! I'm better than you could ever hope to get, so keep dreaming, Mutt!" She screamed. _Wait … why am I angry? I should be thanking him. Like I'd want him. Gross! _Her facial expression went blank, instantly. Not only was she known for her temper, but for her mood swings as well. "Whatever." She finished and climbed down the tree back to the others. "What was that all about?" Inuyasha whispered. He was beyond the point of confusion and off into Completely Oblivious Land.

She was walking unnecessarily fast. She stormed back to the group only to find them sleeping. _Oh, it's still night time. How long have I been asleep? Ugh, I still can't get that creepy visual out of my head. I swear, if I don't get control of myself, I'm going to end up jumping him. Again, Ew. _She started walking back into the woods. Past where Inuyasha was. Past where the well was. She didn't care where she walked to, as long as she was going somewhere. _To bad Miroku is kind of sort of not really attached. He's cute. Men. Use 'em and lose 'em. Always worked for me. _That wasn't entirely true. Faith had a past with men. Or, man in particular. She banged her head against the stiffness of a nearby tree. _Dammit, do NOT think about him now. He's gone. He's dead. It was my fault … _

The movement of brittle leaves on the ground shook her out of her thoughts. She whipped around fast blade first. Hey, you can never be too careful. _Oh, it's only the hanyou. _"Hey … what do you want?" She didn't say it callously, just a question. "Hey, put that knife away. Don't make me take it!" He yelled. She threw it at his feet. "Like you could." She retorted carelessly. Somewhere under the stoic tone, the dry sarcasm and cruel insults, Inuyasha could hear a tinge of sorrow in her voice. The tone was very minuscule. He wouldn't have recognized if it weren't for the fact that he had that same tone when it came to Kikyo. He didn't reply with some comeback. He just stared at her. "Hey." He whispered. "What's up?" She eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean, half-breed? Nothings wrong!" she declared. "Fine! See if I try to help again!" He retorted. "No one asked you for your help, goddammit. I don't need help. I don't need anybody to worry. I'm fine, I'm always peachy with a fucking side of keen." She ranted. _What is she talking about?_ Inuyasha wondered. She clenched her fist tightly, her nails digging into her palms so that the pain would distract her from her anger. Blood filled her fingernails and her breathing slowed. "You want to help?" She asked. "Sure." He said. _I'm going to regret this._ She thought. "You have to close your eyes, and trust me. It's nothing personal, so don't get any ideas." She stated. "What are you going to do?" He asked. "It doesn't matter if you really wanted to help." He sighed and closed his eyes. She walked up to him, eyeing his features. She placed her hands on the back of his neck, and kissed him. His eyes went wide. He tried to pull away, but she had a firm grip on him. He looked down and saw her eyes closed. An expression of resignation resolved itself on her face. He closed his eyes and kissed back. _I don't care anymore. I need to feel something, or I am going to die. _Faith thought to herself desperately as her kiss with Inuyasha deepened.

Two strangers looking for **something**.

Passion wanted it's release, and so did Faith.

**Thank you guys for the comments: Shadowofabrokenangel and killnarakusetme free. You guys are crazy awesome. Never forget it! -laughs-**


	7. Chapter 7 Guilt and indecision

She ran. As fast as she could. Her heart pounding in her chest, she could feel it as if it were coming up in her throat. _I'm sick. _She nicked her arm on a protruding branch, but ignored the pain. If anything, she welcomed it. Retribution, perhaps. Flashes of what happened raped her mind.

_The kiss deepened. 'I have to feel something, or I am going to die' was her last thought. They felt each other, beyond physicality, beyond situation. They felt each other's souls, their pain. They connected. His tongue roamed her mouth, holding hers in a private war that no one could see. Her eyes clenched shut, her rationality gone. His inhibitions gone and his hands grateful for the contact. This is what he was missing. Unadulterated passion. His passion, that he alone controlled. Or didn't. Her hands roamed his back, clawing unknowingly. She just couldn't get close enough. Their bodies melded together, their movements in sync. She felt his chest, bare, not knowing how it got that way. She felt her own bare skin pressed against his. Her unconscious mind completely out of control and her own thoughts could not keep up with what was happening. She could feel her hunger being fed, and she could feel his as well. Their passion could have set the whole forest on fire. Panting, growling, commands. Verbal manifestations of the saturation of needs. She felt him inside of her, giving her all she wanted until her body was at peace. She laid her arm over his bare chest, the other one cradling his back. His arms wrapped securely under her head as his head rolled back in exhaustion. 'Kagome …' he thought. 'Kagome seems so far away, I can't describe it. Am I really here?' he questioned . _

She shook her head, tears threatening to come out, but she was too strong for that. She wouldn't give the world the satisfaction of seeing her weakness. As far as they would see it, she had none. No, she was too strong. He was just another guy. Another tool to help her. Nothing more. _I felt so alive, my spirit is burning. _"I've got to go home." She said in resolution. She turned around and ran back as fast as she could back to the camp. Footsteps stampeded the ground, making way for her entrance. The earth bowing to her command. She was in charge. No one could stop her. No one would try.

She finally arrived, breathing deeply to regain the lost air. She nudged Kagome. "Wake up," she whispered harshly, "Now!" Kagome stirred and looked up at her, her large brown eyes were still glazed over from sleep. "Faith?" She whispered. "Take me back." Faith commanded. "Back where?" "Back home." Kagome sat up and eyed her. "What? What happened?" The priestess asked worriedly. "Nothing, you can take me back. So you are going to. Let's go." Faith said harshly, careful not to let the others know of her decision. She started walking towards the well and glanced over her shoulder. Kagome was steadying herself before she began to follow.

_What happened! _Kagome thought fervently. _Why does Faith want to return home? Did we do something? _

Faith climbed over the well edge, bits of the stone crushed under her abrupt contact. "Get going." She commanded to Kagome. She nodded and fell in after her. The familiar purple surroundings engulfed them. Faith too preoccupied to notice. A fierce look of determination stained her face. She wasn't going to cry. She wasn't going to feel guilty. She didn't care. Faith did not care. _I don't …_

"Faith?" Kagome questioned gently. Faith looked back at her, guilt slammed her mind as she saw the look of concern on her face. _Kagome … I'm so sorry …_ "Yeah?" Was all she said. "What happened?" She asked. "Nothing, I just needed to get away." Faith resigned. _I can't tell her what happened. It would crush her. Idiot. Investing her emotions in him. Too frail. _"Oh, ok." Kagome gave in. _She'll talk to me when she feels ready, _Kagome decided. "Um, Faith? You should come back to the Feudal Era. You and Inuyasha seemed to get along better, and Miroku and Sango really like you." Faith's head snapped towards Kagome. She resisted the urge to smash her face in. Just mentioning the Hanyou was too much for her to handle right now. "Maybe, there are still some things I would like answered." She continued, "I'm going to grab some stuff, then. You can tag along if you really want." Faith offered, really hoping she'd decline. Fortunately for her, Kagome picked up on that. Smart girl. "No, really, it's fine. I'll go pick up some more supplies from my house, and meet you back at the well. How does that sound?" "Peachy …"

_Guitar, Food, Clothes, And Notebook. That should be all I need. I can just use Kagome's toothbrush. Who knows where mine went. _With that, Faith made her way back home. Her lonely apartment that was anything but snazzy. She sighed. _Well, at least it's impossible to get home sick. You actually have to have a home first. _With that, she gathered her things dutifully, scanning the room for anything else of interest. Finding nothing more, she locked the door and began her way back towards the well. _Remind me why I am going back there? Oh, yeah. I'm a dumbass. Bully for me…_

**Hey! A quick thank you to all of the people that reviewed: killnarakusetmefree ( It's not a love story, not yet anyway. Who knows. It could change. Mwhahahaha:P )**

**Shadowofabrokenangel: I'm so glad you still enjoy it! Yay! And Beautiful song, by the way. So profound, it brought me to tears. :) Thank you so much! **

**And Arianacat: I am so happy that you like it! Thank you so much! Will do! –salute-! **

**You guys are awesome. Tres kick ass. Until next chapter! **


	8. Chapter 8 A melody called Confession

Faith met Kagome at the well. The guitar strap cutting off circulation, and the notebook making periodic escapes from her bag. Kagome was sitting on the edge, double checking what she brought. She heard the door open, and glanced towards Faith. "Oh! Hey! You made it. Are you ready?" She asked. Faith took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and nodded. _Is she ok? _Kagome wondered. "Let's get this over with." Faith mumbled. "Sure thing." Kagome exclaimed. The two girls jumped in. This time, Faith took in her surroundings, noticing the surrealism of time travel. _If I would have known about this place, I would have just gotten there through here. It sure as hell would have been less painful and definitely less nausea. _

They peered over the side, and the first thing Faith noticed, was Inuyasha sitting by the well. "What took you guys so long!" He yelled. Before Kagome could respond, He turned his attention to Faith, "Why did you go back?" He asked gently. "What's it to ya?" She threw at him. He looked at her confused. "Faith?" "What, Inuyasha. I had to get some stuff, that's all. No big. Go back in your little tree. It's all good." They stared each other down. _Why is he looking at me like that? The dude's never heard of a one-night-stand? _Kagome glanced between the two of them. _What's going on between Inuyasha and Faith? _She questioned. "Would you quit staring at me, Mutt? You're giving me the creeps." The look on his face was pitiful. Anger, Confusion, a look of betrayal … the Hanyou looked all kinds of bad. He just continued to stare. "Fine, I'll leave." With that, she turned on her heels and ventured into the forest. She sat down at the base of a mature tree. She picked it because the branches reached down as if some kind of shield. It made her feel better, a little more secluded. She twisted the guitar from around her back and started playing, which eventually led to a song. Fingers rested on the appropriate frets, she began to play 'Losing My Religion' by R.E.M.

Playing music always made her feel better. She was creating something, and she felt as if she were the only one affected. Music flowed from her finger tips. Her voice followed suit.

Oh, life is bigger  
It's bigger than you  
And you are not me  
The lengths that I will go to  
The distance in your eyes  
Oh no, I've said too much  
I set it up

That's me in the corner  
That's me in the spotlight  
Losing my religion  
Trying to keep up with you  
And I don't know if I can do it  
Oh no, I've said too much  
I haven't said enough  
I thought that I heard you laughing  
I thought that I heard you sing  
I think I thought I saw you try

Every whisper  
Of every waking hour I'm  
Choosing my confessions  
Trying to keep an eye on you  
Like a hurt lost and blinded fool, fool  
Oh no I've said too much  
I set it up

Consider this  
Consider this  
The hint of the century  
Consider this  
The slip that brought me  
To my knees failed  
What if all these fantasies  
Come flailing around  
Now I've said too much  
I thought that I heard you laughing  
I thought that I heard you sing  
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream  
That was just a dream

That's me in the corner  
That's me in the spotlight  
Losing my religion  
Trying to keep up with you  
And I don't know if I can do it  
Oh no, I've said too much  
I haven't said enough  
I thought that I heard you laughing  
I thought that I heard you sing  
I think I thought I saw you try

But that was just a dream  
Try. Cry. Fly. Try.  
That was just a dream  
Just a dream  
Just a dream  
Dream...

The ending trailed off and she was now staring into space, fingers hurting from the immediate strain. "Damn." She said stretching out her hands. She could feel a pair of eyes burning into her back. "If your going to just stand there, at least come in front of me so It's not creepy." She tossed behind her back.

Inuyasha stepped forward.

He looked down at her, and as a challenge, she stood up glaring at him. Granted, it's hard to look menacing when you have to look UP at the person to do it. It was a fine art. Luckily, it was her  Fine Art.

"What is your problem?" He demanded, matching her glare.

"My problem is you. Get over it. What did you expect? It was fun, thanks for the help, move along." She stated.

"That's it?" He glowered.

"That's it …" She finished.

He sat down and plucked one of her guitar strings. A horrible high pitched sound emanated from the instrument, he hit the E-minor chord. "I heard you singing." He spoke quietly. His mind not comprehending what was going on.

"Yeah, so what? I do it a lot."

"It was good. The song sounded … forlorn." He remarked.

"Ooh, Forlorn. Big word, good job." She joked.

He glared at her.

"Just making with the funny. Not succeeding. Shutting up now." She rambled.

She sighed. "Ok, look. I'm sorry I used you. I felt so desperate, and you were there, and I was there and I thought 'Hey! Let's be here together.' It didn't mean anything."

"Yeah, it did."

"No, I promise, it didn't, I was there." She wouldn't let it mean anything.

"Yeah, so was I. I felt it. You needed me as much as I needed you. I felt it." He said quietly.

"You didn't feel anything, it's called sex. It makes with the goofy temporary feelings sometimes."

"No, it was more than that. I felt so close to you. I … I never felt that before." He stammered. His thoughts were muddled. No sarcastic remarks, and no 'Feh's' to end conversation. Inuyasha hasn't done this in a long time. Feelings were exactly his forte, either.

"Listen, you don't want me Inuyasha. I'll just hurt you in some way. I'm a big girl, I need to be on my own." She was trying to comfort him. Not really working, but hey, the effort was there.

"Yeah … so, you feel nothing?" He asked.

"I did, yeah, but not now. I can't." She admitted.

"What happened to you that you have to shove everybody out of the way?" He was confused and hurt. Damn it all if he didn't get any answers.

"You wouldn't get it." She said.

"Try me."

She let out a long sigh. "I saw what happened with Kikyo. You're lucky. You know her death wasn't on your hands. Not really, anyway. I don't. I have to live with it." She never admitted this to anyone.

"That bastard Naraku was behind it."

"Naraku is not that bad." She retorted.

"What?"

"You won't believe me, so I'm not going to continue it. I just know he's not that bad."

"Feh."

"Don't 'Feh' at me, that's my job." She corrected.

"What happened? What's on your hands?"

"I had a lover, and it didn't work out. No big."

"And?"

"And … it's none of your business."

"You said his death was on your hands, yeah? What happened?"

She looked at her feet. Barefoot, as usual. Her neon-orange toe-nail polish matched her hair. Faith has always had a thing about shoes. They are so pointless. And expensive.

She contemplated on whether to tell him or not. _Why does he care? No body knows what happened. Except the police. _

"Fine. It's a long story. You really wanna know?" She wanted to make sure she was doing the right thing.

"Duh."

She let out a small laugh. "Alright … here we go down the wonderful path of memory lane." _Bloody hell..._

_**Sorry that I used up a lot room with lyrics. I learned how to play that song on guitar and I just had to share the wealth of it's greatness: ) **_

_**My annual thanking of the "Crazy Awesome" reviewers that I have come to know and love:**_

_**Thank you 'Killnarakusetmefree' : You are awesome and I always look forward to seeing if you reviewed or not. They make me happy. **_

_**ArianaCat: Thank you so much! I am so glad you like it, and gracias gracias gracias on showing your friend my story. I'm glad they like it too: )**_

_**And Mjbitz12: Thank you so much! – And I will:D **_

_**The next chapter goes into Faith's past a little bit, so hopefully, you guys will like it! **_


	9. Chapter 9 Erych and Faith, Shit

**Disclaimer: This particular chapter doesn't have A LOT to do with Inuyasha, it's more about her past. Not her whole past, just her past with an Ex. It explains some things. Sorry about the shortage of Inuyasha. The next chapter will resume the story. : ) Sorry!**

She closed her eyes and fumbled with her hands. _This. Is. Going. To. Suck. _She thought as she thought about where to begin. She fell in love with a guy named Erych. _Ok, _She breathed.

"You sure?" She drew out.

"Quit stallin' and tell me already, would ya?" He demanded.

"Fine. Ass." She said finally.

"Erych was really abusive. He thought I was the type of girl to just roll with the punches … literally and it really pissed him off that I fought back. Don't get me wrong though, I really liked him and we had all of these plans together. We were the typical 'Vampire/Goth' couple, I suppose. I was into the whole vampire scene, and that's how I met him. Some club for Vamp wannabes down in New Orleans. Our friends hated us though. They would see our fights, hear us go in the other room and didn't know how to react when we came out all bloody. One day, shit just got out of hand."

'

_They were in a cemetery, fighting as usual. "Don't you dare touch me again, asshole. _

_I will rip your motherfucking throat out if you do." Faith yelled. She was panting and her face was scarred and bloodied. "What are you going to do about it you little bitch!" he yelled. She marched up to him and punched him right in the face. He doubled over and she grabbed the back of his head and slammed his face into her knee. The impact shaking her off balance just long enough to take her down with him. He straddled her abdomen while repeatedly punching her face, her head thrashing on the dew covered grass. Her nose was broken, and his ribs were crushed. He had the upper hand. This has never happened before. He stopped long enough for her to slam her palm into his nose, shattering it like he did to her. He roared in pain and she rolled backwards on to her feet. She rushed at him, limping and slammed him in a tree. "You bastard! You fucking care about me like you said? You wouldn't put me through this everyday if you did! You son of a bitch, go to hell!" She spat, her voice hoarse from the yelling and constant pressure. Her breath ragged and the bitter taste of blood and bile mixed with her tears. She wasn't crying. Her body was just giving up. He pushed back with all his force until she was again on her back. He dragged her by her hair until she was placed on her knees. He crushed her left knee with a nearby gravestone, causing her to grit her teeth in pain. She wouldn't cry out, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. She was better, and she was going to prove it once and for all. He slammed her head into the stone behind her, causing her to nearly black out. As her vision clouded, she saw him reach behind her and grab her chin and forehead. 'He's going to snap my neck! That motherfucker is going to kill me?' she thought in panic. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak or defend herself. It was over … She shut her eyes and prepared for death when all of the sudden a sudden movement jerked her to the ground. She fumbled around for something to support her, and she managed to flip around on her back to see what happened. She saw some man straddling Erych, punching him in the face over and over. She just stared, She couldn't move. The man flipped Erych on his back and held his hands behind him while his knee dug into his spine, making sure that he couldn't move. A few minutes later, the police and ambulance came. The last thing she saw before she passed out was the flashing of red lights, and someone asking if she understood them._

"Wow!" Inuyasha whispered in amazement.

She laughed. "You haven't heard anything yet."

"Why did you stay with him?" He asked.

"He was an awesome fighter. The first person I could spar with without having to hold back. Plus, he was an amazing kisser." Faith admitted with a dreamy look on her face. "What can I say? I always fell for the Bad Guy. It's my weakness." She defended in response to the look he was giving her. You know, the look that says you the most insane person in the world and you should be locked up. That one.

_Faith was in her room, light dimmed just enough so she could read Aldous Huxley's 'A Brave New World'. She heard her door open, and she grabbed her knife and stood behind the wall. She lived alone, so who was in her house. She waited until who ever it was ended up close enough to her door to see. She peered around and saw who it was. Erych. 'Oh shit!' she thought. Panic crept up her spine and fear knotted in her stomach. "What do you want, Erych." She stepped out, voice dripping with stoicism. "Oh nothing. Just breaking out of jail to see my little love muffin." His mocking sweet tone mad her want to gag. "Get out of my house, Now!" She demanded. "Got the knife I gave you. Ironic." He stated. "Did you hear me! I said get out." He sighed. "Ok, love, but first, I wanted to give you something." The smirk on his face sent chills down her back. He pulled out a .45 mm gun. It's tip pointed directly at her. Her emotion stayed cold. Her mind was racing. 'If I knock the gun out of his hand, I've got him. If I mess up, I'm dead. Peachy.' She thought. "No time like the present," was all she said before she ripped the gun from him. In that moment, everything was clear. He was going to keep coming after her. It was never going to end. The next thing she knew she saw him collapse. She looked down. 'Oh my god!' Her knife was embedded in his stomach, blood spurting out and drenching her arms. He fell backwards, eyes wide in shock. He convulsed for a few moments before his body went limp. She fell down next to him, still holding on to the murder weapon. She sat next to his body for 3 days in shock, before her sensei found her. She hadn't moved in 3 days. She killed the only person she loved, and she didn't even realize she did it. _

A single tear slid down her cheek. Inuyasha wiped it away. She looked up at him and shook away his hand. "Sorry, I guess I'm still not over it. It was a fucked up situation." She said quietly. "Yea …" He agreed. A few moments of silence passed, before he spoke again. "I understand, at least a little bit. You can trust me. I would never do anything like that." He was telling the truth. He looked her straight in the eye. "Thanks." Was all she said. "Get some sleep, we have to get going tomorrow, and if you don't, you'll be falling asleep the entire way." He joked. She let out a small laugh. "Whatever, mutt. Let's go." She got up and he followed. They went back to the camp. Everyone was still sleeping. Nothing changed, yet her entire world was turned upside down. _Maybe Inuyasha's not so bad. He's good people. Feh. Mutt._ He leaned up against a nearby tree. She came up and laid between his legs, head back on his chest, and she was back into dream land. He looked down at her and smiled. _Stupid humans. They're so damn confusing. _

**It's that time of day, my amazing viewers! Thank you! **

**Thank you killnarakusetmefree: I'm so glad you still like it. I kinda strayed off Inuyasha there for abit, but next chapter will be back with a story line with them. **

**And thank you AShadowof A Broken Angel: I try to update everynight, which is SO hard because of college. As long as I know you guys still like it, I'll keep writing. : ) Go me! Hahaha. Thank you! **

**And thank you to all of those people who don't review, I'm glad you are at least reading it! I hope you all like it! **

**Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10 Finally, and we're off!

Kagome was laying there, wondering what was going on. _There is something odd going on with Inuyasha and Faith. I wonder what it is?_ She's been unable to stay asleep for the last few hours.She moved her head towards the dwindling fire. Thoughts interrupted by a gasp. She sat up quickly and saw Inuyasha with his arms around a sleeping Faith. A twinge of jealousy surfaced and tears were starting to form behind her eyes. _It took me so long to get close to him. What is going on? Get a grip, Kagome. Maybe it's not what it looks like. _She heard the noise of cloth rustling and turned to see Miroku getting up. He looked at the position Inuyasha and Faith were in and grinned, then noticing Kagome's expression, and his grin soon faded.

He bent down to whisper in Inuyasha's ear. "Inuyasha, it would be wise to wake up and tell us what happened." Miroku said, eyeing the Hanyou with a mock sincerity. "What do ya mean, monk?" He said, then looking down at Faith, he panicked. "Uhh … it's not what it looks like." She stirred, burying her face in his chest. "I had a nightmare, I forced him to stay up with me, no big. Let me sleep." Faith muffled. "Oh, really?" Miroku sung. She sat up and grabbed him by the collar. "I said, I had a nightmare. That is all." She gritted. "Heh, heh." Miroku laughed nervously. He threw his hands up in surrender. "Yes, of course. What ever you say, Faith." He gave in. Faith rolled her eyes and looked over to Kagome and could see what she was feeling clear as day. _Dammit. I hate it when people cry._ "Kagome, Buck up. Nothing's going on." She said matter-of-factly. "Oh, right!" Kagome perked. She giggled. "It's nothing, just stupid allergies." She gave the most transparent smile ever. _I thought I was a bad liar. _

"What's going on?" Sango asked sleepily. "Oh, nothing, nothing at all, sweet Sango." Miroku said innocently, grabbing her hands with a smile spreading ear to ear. She eyed him suspiciously. "Did he try to grope you, Faith?" She asked. "Ha, Ha. Yeah, like he'd get the chance." Faith laughed. She sighed in response to Sango's confused look. "Had a nightmare, people are weird and **way **to suspicious. For the last time, no big." Faith finished, hoping it was the last time she'd have to make up a stupid excuse to get everybody off of her back.

It was about 5 o'clock in the morning. The sun wasn't up yet, but the atmosphere was just screaming to get a few more minutes of sleep before it was too late. Faith was definitely not a morning person.

Inuyasha said he "picked up the scent of Naraku," about 5 minutes after she decided to get some more shut eye. They all decided to follow suit in hopes to find him. Kagome hopped on his back and it was decided that she was going to ride on Kirara's back in between Miroku and Sango. Fun.

"Where are we going?" Faith raised her voice so Sango can hear her. "I don't know." She yelled over her shoulder, wind tossing her hair into her face. "Inuyasha said he sensed something, and Kagome can feel shards. I don't think we know where we are going yet." She finished. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Miroku remove his hand from his sleeve and make a slow motion towards her. _Dammit, why couldn't he be INFRONT of me? _She removed her knife and glanced back "Go ahead, try it. Is it worth an arm?" He quickly withdrew his hand, giggling nervously. "I'd go for Sango before I went for you, perv." She tossed back. "What about me?" Sango asked, oblivious to what was going on. "Nothing." Faith said as she glanced back and could tell the thoughts he was having. A dreamy smile tainted his face. She laughed. "You're a weird one." She joked. She closed her eyes and fought the urge to go to sleep. If she did, she'd probably fall off.

Faith looked around taking in all of the scenery. Trees. Trees. What's that? Oh, a fallen tree. Trees. Trees. _So glad there is so many interesting things to keep me awake. _She thought in complete boredom. You would think flying would be more fun. And it is, for about the first 15 minutes. "Yo, Hanyou! Any idea where we are going, yet!" She yelled. "Quit yapping, we'll get there when we get there!" He yelled back. "Did you just tell me to shut up? I am so going to kick your ass when we get there." "Heh, I'd like to see you try." He countered. They looked at each other and smirked. _Hey, it's something to look forward to. Nothing like fighting to get your lazy ass to wake up._

A smile plastered itself on her face. She leaned back, "I'm tired, try anything, and I'll throw your ass off." She said to the conniving monk as she closed her eyes. _What's a little nap? _She thought. Consciousness has left the building.

**Thank you Arianacat for reviewing! Crazy past, yeah. I had a boyfriend like that, not quite so extreme, but it gave me inspiration. I hope you keep reading!**

**Killnarakusetmefree; I'm glad you still like it, too! I thought about that, what they would think. Hope you like how it turned out. : ) **

**Thank you sooo much! I hope you all liked this chapter! **

**Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11 New mission!

Faith felt herself being carried in her sleep. Her eyes opened to the sight of Miroku holding her while heading towards some village. She grumbled "Ok, I'm awake, let me down now." He looked down at her with a slight smile. "Finally. We all tried to wake you up, and we stopped when you started sleep-punching." He stated with a hint of laughter in his voice. "Eh, it happens." She passed. He let her down gently, her bare feet coming in contact with harsh gravel, making her wish she stayed where she was.

She straightened out her tank top and her olive colored pants, wrinkles forming from her sleep. The smell of a nearby fire infiltrated her nose and caused her to think about food. _Hmmm, where's the Dollar Menu when you need it? _Faith thought.

She looked around, and saw Kagome and Inuyasha standing in a small gathering of people. Kagome looked interested, whereas Inuyasha just looked annoyed. She couldn't find Sango or Shippo. Curious, Faith walked towards Kagome and Inuyasha. "So … you finally decided to wake up, did you?" Inuyasha said arrogantly. She stuck her tongue out at him in response. "Ha. Ha, loser. Why the pit stop?" Faith asked with sarcastic laughter. "Kagome said you guys wanted to clean up. There's a hot spring down the way over there." He replied. "Yes!" Kagome exclaimed excitedly, "We also needed a place to sleep, so we thought here would be nice." She added. Kagome looked down at Faith's feet. "Where's your shoes?" She inquired. Faith looked down, and shrugged. "Who knows? Don't really care right now," was her stoic reply. "Mm hm." Kagome acknowledged. Ignoring her, Faith hit Inuyasha lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, what did ya do that for?" He sniped. "Where is Sango?" She disregarded his complaint completely. "Who knows," He replied, "Why, you looking for her?" "No, not like it's any of your business." Faith told him. It was his turn to stick his tongue out.

After some idle chit-chat and a few insults towards Inuyasha, Sango and Shippo returned. In her normal attire, Sango looked average. Not ugly, not beautiful, just a woman. Definitely not a Slayer. "The villagers said there were a string of attacks on children here. Maybe we should check it out?" Sango suggested. "Children? That's horrible." Kagome gasped, stating the obvious. Inuyasha shrugged. "Not my problem. I'm after the jewel shards." "Inuyasha …" Kagome sighed, "We can't just leave. Kids are dying." "No offence, Kagome, but he's right. Who cares? They will figure it out. Plus, kids are annoying, I'd say it was for the greater good." Faith said putting in her two cents. Her dirty two cents which apparently no one wanted judging on the looks she was getting from the two women. "Kidding?" Faith offered. "We have to help, let's do it!" Kagome said with determination. Faith twirled her index finger in the air. "Whoo." She added dryly.

She looked down at herself. Her pale skin was dirty, and her hair was seriously in need of washing. Faith remembered what Inuyasha said about a Hot Spring.

"Hey, I'm gonna go clean up. I'm shtankay." She spoke to no one in particular. Kagome offered to come with her, but Faith declined. _I think I can handle bathing by myself. No buddy system for me, thank you. _"Oh, I don't have anything. Mind if I borrow your stuff? Thanks, I knew you wouldn't mind." Faith said before Kagome had any time for objection. Faith grabbed the bag and finally found some shampoo and conditioner. _Onwards!_ She thought, excited to be a little less gross.

After about 30 minutes, Faith finally found it. "About time," she muttered. She quickly undressed and placed her cloths and shampoo by the rock's edge. She climbed in, head titled back, and she sighed. "Ah," she exhaled, "This is awesome." She whispered in contentment. She laid there for about five minutes before she heard the movement of leaves, branches, and anything else distancing her and whoever was coming. She turned around and saw Miroku stride up with a confident smile branded on his lips. He looked down at her, "Oh! This is a surprise," he said with a fake tone of shock, "Imagine that. Only one hot spring, and I am such a mess." He sighed. "Whatever, I don't care. Come on in, the water's fine, Yada, Yada, Yada." Faith replied to his weak attempts of cause. Excited, he quickly undressed and slipped in, noticing Faith's closed eyes. "So, Faith …" He began, "Shut up, I'm relaxing. I am calm, I am peaceful, so can it!" She interrupted, aggravation blatantly evident. Somehow, it slipped past him. "So how was it?" He asked. Faith opened her eyes and glared at him. "What?" She asked bitterly. "You know …" He sung with an accomplished smile, nudging her arm in suggestion. Faith rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about, monk?" "Your sweet night of Romance with our very own Inuyasha, of course." He stated, as if it were obvious that was what he was insinuating. Her eyes widened. "Wha- what do you mean?" Her collectiveness was out the window. "You know …" He repeated in the same sing-a-long tone. "Stop saying that!" She sniped. "It's a shame," he sighed. "Here I thought you loved each other." Faith stared at him. "Yeah … right. You're insane." She was desperately trying to regain dignity, and was failing miserably. He tsked. "Silly, Faith." He remarked. She growled. "I'm going to kick your ass!" She snarled. Looking down, she corrected. "When I get some clothes on." Miroku's smile broadened. "Why wait?"

Two seconds later, he was out of the hot springs yelling "Don't hurt me!"

Faith settled back on the rock, completely unaware that there was another presence watching her. One a little less humble.

**It's that time of day again, lovelies!**

**Thank you so much 'Killnarakusetmefree', I love your reviews! Sorry for the confusion, she was leaning against him. If not, she would have fallen off. **

**And thank you so much Shadowof a broken angel: You are very welcome and THANK YOU! I'm so glad you like the character and her attitude. : ) **

**And thank you arianacat: I'm glad you liked the past chapter! Thank you for reviewing!**

**You guys are crazy awesome! Muchos awesome: ) **


	12. Chapter 12 Naraku's threat

**Ok, I am sooo sorry for the delay. I've started college a week ago, and I am already falling behind! Eek. I was going to update yesterday, but for some reason, I've been really sick. I'm talking 102 fever, vomiting, and over all yuckiness. I still feel like crap, but I want to try something. This next chapter is going to be focused on Naraku. Let me know how you like it. : )**

Naraku sat flawlessly still near a dappled window sill, watching attentively through Kanna's Mirror. He has been studying her for a few days now, this new addition of 'trouble.' His Samiyoshi stalked the group dutifully, trailing behind Faith and the others in covertness. Kagura stood witness to this like a ghost the entire time. Disgust for Naraku welled up inside her every time he cast a new remark about this Faith girl. She found him sitting on the floor, once again entrapped in his new found obsession. She stood alone in the doorway. "Why do you insist on spying on her, Naraku? What do you have to gain?" Kagura whispered in an embittered tone. His expression never changed, he merely tilted his head towards her. "Do not concern yourself, Kagura, you are not needed." He answered callously. His attention quickly returned to the Mirror. _He will not get away with this. _Her eyes narrowed as she stood to her full height. "Why you little bastard." She gritted. One hand tightened into a fist while the other instinctively gripped her weapon securely. _She is getting in the way. _Naraku stood leisurely as he looked into her widening eyes. Her thoughts hurried, as realization hit. She looked at his hands which were holding an object that was drenched in a sinister, crimson glow. _Is that …_ She thought in fear. "Your heart?" Naraku finished, as if reading her thoughts, "I would think so." His voice was dark as he stared into her cowering eyes, completely void of emotion. She could feel his fingertips graze the surface, and she bit down the urge to cry out. Eyes clinched for a moment. Defiance driving her to open them, and stare into the face of tormentor. She stood perfectly still, awaiting his next move.

They stood in silence, facing one another as moments continued to drag on. The tension seemed to be seducing anticipation as Kagura challenged Naraku. His eyes were dark, her eyes rebellious – both were filled with revulsion. The fundamental object of this mental war vanished as he closed his fist. A slight stress built in her chest as he snickered. "Pathetic," he sneered, "Leave … now." He quietly demanded. "You are merely a distraction." He added. Her eyes narrowed once more, as the previous insult was repeated. She had no thoughts, only anger. He had raped her of free-will, and he revels in it every night. She stood there, frozen with resentment. She breathed, bowed and silently exited the room to leave him in his perverseness.

_I will find a way to kill you, Naraku, even if I cannot do it myself. You will die. _She thought as she brushed passed the subservient Kohaku. He stood guard of the room, completely alone in his submission. Kagura rolled her eyes in irritation. _Heh. Some guard he is, I would bet he does not even know I am here. _"Bastard." She whispered.

Naraku moved swiftly towards the Mirror, the very object that introduced him to Faith.

The image of Faith in the Hot Spring was still there. Naraku bent down and snarled, "Fool," he muttered, "You should not have come here. You will learn your place, human."

He dressed accordingly, his infamous costume of symbolism. The white fur was becoming filthy with dirt and blood. It was as if Naraku was immune to the disgusting sign of cruelty. He turned towards the window, his determined eyes were veiled by his mask. He was resolute in his desire to see this girl for himself. He saw her as an unneccisary threat. A slight smile formed under the disguise as a soft chuckle erupted from his throat. "You are not prepared for what comes next, human." He foreshadowed. His mind was set. He planned to torture, or "Punish" her until that eccentric orange hair of hers turns white in terror.

The mere thought of his campaign brought a sadistic smile on his lips.

_It's time …_

**Sorry it's so short. Hope you like it! **

**Thank you so much Arianacat for reviewing. You're sister must be a handful. Haha. Good times. And thank you so much! I'll try! **

**Killnarakusetmefree: Thank you! I am so glad you love it! Yay: )**

**And Shadow of a broken angel: Glad I could update! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you think the story is wonderful so far. : )**

**You guys are awesome! **

**Until next time! **


	13. Chapter 13 She's a step ahead

Faith waded in the water for a few more minutes until the prune look she was starting to get gave her reason to finally get out. _Heh, my fingers look like they are some old broad's._ She crawled out of the water, gripping the sides of the rock and pulled her self out. She slipped a light grey spaghetti strap shirt over her head with a few holes in the hem. The shirt had an image of Nietzsche on the front with the words scribbled "God is Dead" on it. She pulled on her olive pants and gathered Kagome's things. The dull cast of sunlight that snuck through the trees gave her pale skin a velvet look. Her orange hair glowed from the rays.

She made her way towards the village, feeling refreshed and better than ever.

"Whatcha up to?" She heard Inuyasha say above her. Faith looked up and sure enough, she saw the Hanyou sitting comfortably in a nearby tree. His legs dangled lifelessly over the sides, and the same sunlight gave him an angelic visage. "What's it look like, use common sense, Mutt." She joked. He jumped down and landed in front of her. "Heh, heard you gave that Miroku a beating." Faith shrugged. "Eh, he had it coming." She saw him noticing her shirt. At first she thought he was just eyeing her chest, but then she realized what was on the front. "God is dead?" He questioned. "And we have killed him." She finished quietly. He just looked at her in confusion. Faith shook her head in dismissal. "Don't worry about it, you wouldn't get it." She started to walk past him when she fell to her knees. She cried out in pain as she fell to the ground. "Faith?" He rushed over to her. "What's happening?" Inuyasha asked worriedly. She clawed at the grass as she rolled onto her back, her breath heavy with struggle.

_Chains, A katanna's blade made its way across her cheek, a sadistic laugh followed suit. "Figures that you would get off on something like this, bastard." She said through bruised lips. The blood trickled down her glaring face, she held her chin up in defiance. A woman in a red and white Kimono was standing in the doorway standing witness to the torture. A concerned expression on her face. Was it concern? Maybe it was disgust. Faith wriggled the chains and kicked her assailant. The laughter came again. She looked down as the moonlight's glint captured the silver surface of her knife. "Let's see if this is familiar." She looked into his eyes. Naraku. "You said this was the very same blade that you killed your lover with, no? Let us see what it feels like." He said darkly as he rammed the rusted blade into her gut. She cried out, "FUCK!" Familiar blood rushed over the blade, the sound of skin breaking made her cringe. Her breathing deepened as she struggled to stay conscious. Faith looked down. Naraku was bent over licking her wound. "Tell me this, Faith, does it hurt?" She rammed her wrists against the chains in another desperate attempt to get out. "Duh, dumbass, you just fucking stabbed me." She gritted. He chuckled. "So I did…"_

She opened her eyes as Inuyasha was shaking her shoulders. "What is going on? Wake up, human." Her wide eyes looked around, gasping for air. His face was so close to hers. She sat up quickly and lifted her shirt to see where the wound would be. She felt the surface of her stomach. Nothing. "Talk." Inuyasha demanded. Faith looked into the Hanyou's eyes, She smirked. "What the hell …" He muttered. "Well, I'll be damned. He's actually going to do it." She said quietly. The confusion on Inuyasha's face deepened. "Who? Who's going to do what?" She sat back trying to steady her breath and focus on reality. "Naraku is actually going to kill me. Who'da thunk it?" She breathed. "And with the same knife, too. That's irony for you." She laughed. "Oh man, I'm going crazy." Inuyasha settled down in front of her, legs crossed and eyes narrowed. "What did you say?" He snarled through grinding teeth. "What? Oh, the Naraku thing? Congratulations, Inuyasha, you witnessed my first vision in the Feudal Era. Kudos for you." Faith replied in a mock talk show announcer's voice. He slammed his fist into the ground. "No way he's going to lay a finger on you!" He declared. She stood up, balancing herself and dusted off her pants. "I can take care of myself, mutt." Faith countered. "What did you see?" He ignored her comment. Inuyasha's expression was dead-serious. He looked her straight in the eyes as he waited her answer. "Why do you care?" Faith asked arrogantly. "Give me a break. You know I care. So quit stallin' and tell me what you saw." He demanded. She breathed and explained her vision. Inuyasha's eyes were wide as Faith laughed. "Told you, Ironic, no?" "You think this is funny? That filthy bastard is going to hurt you." Inuyasha stated impatiently. "I refer you to my answer above: I can take care of myself." "Not according to your vision." He replied bluntly. Faith stared at him and noticed that his claws were digging into his palms. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it, little dude. We'll handle it." She tried. He shook her off. "I'm going to kill Naraku if it's the last thing I do." He professed. Blood was dripping from his fists. _Aw, he's a cutie. Who's a tough puppy, you are, yes you are. _She thought as if he were a new born pup that just did some kind of trick. She giggled at the thought. "Like I said, mutt, we'll deal with it. I got you and people like Sango and Kagome. He'll have to put up a hell of a fight to mess with us." She offered jubilantly. _Gods help me, I sound like Kagome._

Faith walked up to Inuyasha and stood on her tip-toes. She brushed the hair away from his eyes as he looked down at her, and she kissed him. A small kiss, but it should help. "You're so cute," Faith whispered, "Now let's go. And don't you dare tell anybody about my vision, or I'll kick your ass. The last thing I need is the rest of the group going all 'temporary psycho' on me." Faith walked in front of him. She looked behind her shoulder and laughed. "Loser …" She joked. He walked up alongside her, worry tangled in his stomach.

They made their way towards the others and were surprised by what they saw.

**Ok, so did you notice the little star by the quote "God is Dead"? It's a reference to the Philosopher Neitzche. He was an existentialist that believed that people should live for people, not an invisible god. It's not "anti-religion", it's pro-humanism. Please don't bash me and call me a Christian hater, I'm not I swear: D **

**ArianaCat: I know, really! Almost every episode he's coming up with something. I thought it was appropriate he be doing the same here. : ) **

**Killnarakusetmefree: Haha! Funny how that happens. I'm glad you like my story enough to keep checking. Yay! I'm so glad you liked it! **

**And thank you so much for the people who did not review, I hope you guys still like it.**

**Until next time. **


	14. I need your help!

**I'm so sorry for the delay! I've been incredibly sick you wouldn't believe it.**

**It's been crazy.**

**Ok, I had some ideas for the story, but I would like you guys' input. **

**I was planning on having a "sensual" scene between Faith and Kagura to prove a point. Faith is going to seem promiscuous, but that will be explained later in the story. **

**I want to know what you guys think about the Kagura scene, because I really want to do it, but I'm curious as to what the reaction might be. **

**Hopefully, there will be a chapter tonight! I am so sorry, guys!**

**Let me know what you guys think. **


	15. Chapter 14: Kagura's attatchment

Kagura was standing there with the others as Faith and Inuyasha walked back into the village. Her head was tilted down as she shifted her glare towards Faith. Faith waved like a smiling moron.

"Kagura … what's going on?" Faith inquired. In all of her visions, Faith felt sorry for Kagura. She actually thought that she could relate to her. "You know of me?" She whispered in tone of slight surprise. Faith waved her off. "Not what I asked. So what kind of doom and gloom message from Naraku do you have?" Kagura scanned her from head to toe. _What a strange girl. _"She says she did not come from Naraku's orders." Sango said suspiciously. "And my guess is you don't believe her?" Faith asked. "She has Samiyoshi following her, meaning if she was defying Naraku, he would know." Miroku offered. "Who said I was defying Naraku?" Kagura smirked. "Fools. You are in my way. I have come for the girl." She stated as she pointed a finger towards Faith.

"And it starts." Faith mumbled.

Inuyasha stepped up, claws curling into his palms as he gritted, "Not on my life, demon. Naraku ain't got nothing to do with her." Faith rolled her eyes and sighed. "What do you want, Kagura?"

"Naraku is coming for you. I want to know why. His obsession far surpasses my understanding."

"Ok, been there, know that. So if he is already coming for me, then why are you here? It can't be because you were simply 'interested', surely you don't have that much free time." Faith pushed condescendingly. "Why you little wench." She snarled. "That's it! You have no business here. Leave, now!" Inuyasha defended. Faith looked back at Kagome and nodded. "Inuyasha, SIT!" Kagome yelled on cue. "Wha …?" He yelped as he crashed into the ground. His head lifted as he muffled into the dirt. "What did you do that for? She's going to take her! You're just gonna let it happen?" "Inuyasha, Kagura isn't doing anything. Faith is fine." Kagome reasoned. "But she …" He was interrupted by Faith kicking him in the head. She bent down and whispered in his ear. "Shut up! You promised you wouldn't say anything." He stood up, dusting off his robes. "Feh. I've had enough of this! Kagura, you are going down once and for all!" Inuyasha declared as he withdrew Tetsaiga. Faith ran at Kagura and grabbed her arm, "Let's go!" Faith yelled. Kagura looked at her in confusion. "Move it!" She yelled. Kagura grabbed a feather from her hair and they quickly evaded Inuyasha. "Get back here! You runnin' away!" He yelled. "Where are you going, you're going to die!" Inuyasha chased after them until the feather was out of sight.

"Do you have a death wish, girl?" Kagura questioned. Faith shrugged. "Maybe. You tell me." Faith perked up. "Would you do me one favor, first?" Kagura turned to her as the wind blew past them. She narrowed her eyes. "Can we go back to my time first, I've been wanting to do something for a while now." _Is this a trick? How can we possibly go into the future? _Kagura pondered. "Here, lower us down." Faith commanded. Kagura snarled. "Please?" She added. Faith was doing her best to manifest a sweet smile. Obviously she did something right, because Kagura obliged.

They landed on the ground, and Faith immediately sat in place, cross-legged. Her eyes were closed, and she looked as if she were meditating. "What are you …?" Kagura was cut off. "Sit down. Do what I am doing. Since Kagome isn't here, we have to do this the old fashioned way." Faith sighed. "What does that mean?" Faith opened her eyes. "It means, this is going to hurt a lot."

After 10 minutes of silence, the area around the two women began to blaze in a brilliant purple aura. Faith hunched over as the familiar feel of viscera being ripped apart. Kagura's eyes were wide, "You little bitch! This was a trap!" She accused, voice straining against the pain. Faith's eyes clinched. "If it was, then why would I entrap myself as well?" Faith managed to spit out. "Almost … there." She stuttered. The light was gone, and for a few moments, it was pitch black.

Kagura crouched on her knees as she threw up all over the floor. Faith's lip curled up. "First time?" She joked. Kagura looked up at her and growled. "Heh. If it makes you feel any better, I barfed everywhere my first time too." She continued, "It's rough, you ok?" Faith crawled up off of the floor and Kagura followed. She looked around and studied her surroundings. Television, CD player, Bed, Posters, all were alien to her. She gawked as she randomly touched everything. "DAMN IT!" Faith yelled. Kagura snapped out of her trance and looked back at her. "What is it?" Kagura bit down to hide her surprise. "I forgot my crap at the village with Inuyasha and them. Dammit, they are going to just leave it there." Faith punched the wall, leaving a dent and newly reddened knuckles.

"Enough." Kagura stated calmly. "Do what it was that we came to do. We are wasting time." Faith looked at her. "You're right. It'll be about half an hour, then we can leave." She said as she walked into her bathroom. Kagura noticed two small cartons in her hands. "What are you doing?" Faith smiled back at her, "It's a surprise."

"Here …" Faith said as she reached over and grabbed the remote. "It's a T.V, for entertainment. Use these buttons to change … um, scenery? Until you find something you like." Kagura looked at the screen, staring intensely as she explored the controls. "Have fun." She said as she locked herself in the bathroom.

About 45 minutes later, Faith came out triumphantly. "Ta-da!" She sung happily, arms outstretched in a modeling pose. Kagura tore her vision away from the screen and was taken aback. "You are different." She stated. "Not me, silly, just my hair. Whatd'ya think?" Faith asked as she modeled her newly dyed hair. The empty label on the box called the color 'Cupcake Pink'. "So …?" Faith sung. "It suits you." Kagura replied dully. "Eek! Excitement. Want me to do yours? I have purple, blue, orange, more pink and black! But … you're hair is already black so just forget that part." "No." She stated simply. "Oh, come on, just a streak?" "No." "Fine. You suck." She joked as she stuck her tongue out.

"You ready?" Faith asked. "If we must." She responded Faith settled down once again on the floor a few feet from where the vomit was. "Onwards!" She said as she closed her eyes. Kagura followed as they made their way back to the Feudal Era.

This time, they both puked. "Ok, the ride back sucked!" Faith exclaimed as she wiped her mouth. Kagura looked up and stared at the girl in front of her. _There is a dark aura surrounding this girl, is that what enthralled Naraku? How can this be, she is so kind._

Faith's pink hair shined brightly under the sunlight. "Where next?" Faith asked. Kagura sighed. "To the castle." She said solemnly. Suddenly, Kagura wasn't partial to the thought of Naraku getting a hold of Faith. _What is he planning? _


	16. Chapter 15 Interesting Introductions

Faith and Kagura entered the portentous castle, Faith first. What Kagura did not know was that while they were in her time, she managed to grab her gun. Browning 9mm fully equipped with black shoulder holster and extra ammo. Knives were fun, but from her vision, if Naraku gets too close for comfort: Blow his brains out.

"So where is the little tyke?" Faith asked irreverently. Kagura strode passed her, the fabric of her kimono brushing passed Faith's bare arms causing her to jump. _Paranoid, who me? _She thought. Kagura eyed her as she passed. "This way. Keep up, we wouldn't want you getting lost." Kagura declared condescendingly. Faith snorted. Yes, snorted. "Yeah, because directions are top on my priority list. Making it on time, then staying alive." "Hold your tongue, human." Kagura bit.

Faith caught up to the demon and considered her face. "So what's it like?" She asked innocently. Kagura looked at her mildly stunned. "What is what like?" She replied suspiciously. Faith put on the most innocent smile she could muster. "Being Naraku's lapdog? Doesn't it suck?" The sound of Kagura's hand on Faith's cheek echoed through the halls. "Holy fuck!" Faith proclaimed. _Didn't see that coming. _She walked up to Kagura. The look of pure rage with a tint of embarrassment. _Peachy, touched a nerve. _Faith grinned. "What's the matter, not liking the endorsement?" Kagura raised her weapon, intent way apparent. Faith grabbed her wrist and shoved her into the wall. Faith stared into her eyes, probing. Kagura looked apprehensively down at her. _What is this? How is she able to hold me? This girl cannot be human. _"Surprised?" Faith asked. Kagura chuckled. "Hardly. After all, you are only human." It was Faith's turn to laugh. "Can the crap, Kagura. No one is buying it. You hate it here. You're lonely and you want the fuck away from him." The look of resignation on her face confused Faith. _What? No shock face? That's disappointing, _she thought.

Faith raised her fingers and traced the lines of Kagura's face. Kagura eyed her suspiciously. "What are you doing?" Her voice betrayed her. Faith knew she was confused. "Wha –?" Kagura protested in surprise as Faith took hold of her shoulders and pushed her on the ground. Faith straddled her, both legs on either sides of her hips. Her lips barely brushed Kagura's and she turned her head away harshly. "What do you think you are doing, human?" She whispered callously. Faith looked down at her, both hands securely fastened on either side of her face. "Shh," She quieted, "You need this. I'm giving you what you want."

She leaned in once more, this time Kagura obliged. Their lips touched. Need filled her gut as the kiss deepened. Kagura was the first to open her mouth urging Faith to enter. Their tongues were entangled as Kagura let out a long sigh. Faith heard a faint sound in the background and ripped herself away from Kagura, gun first aiming right at the target. Kagura grabbed at her in protest until she saw the distraction.

"Naraku …" Kagura whispered. Faith stood erect, gun still on target. "What's up? Nice place, kinda trashy but … eh, it works." Naraku cocked his head to the side with a faith smile on his lips. A small chuckle escaped his throat. "I see you have become … acquainted with Kagura." Faith shrugged. "Hey, she's hot. Got to give the girl something if she has to live here with you." She said sweetly. He chuckled once more. "Please, come sit." _This is the guy that's going to kill me? Naw. _"Nah, I'm good. Something about not liking pleasantries with the bad guys. You understand." Naraku inched closer, which caused Faith to flip the safety off of the gun. "Don't." Was all she said. He grinned. "Or what?" Naraku taunted. She pointed the gun towards the floor and shot. The jagged hole stared at the group, large splintered pieces of wood clung to the edges of the damage. "That's going to be your face if you try anything funny." Faith stated simply. He moved one more step. "You think I'm bluffing?" Faith asked. _If he thinks I'm bluffing, he's in for a treat. Wrong girl. _One more step and the fire shot, dead set in between his eyes. Blood and other remenants splattered in all different directions. The echo finally died as Kagura stepped forward, a look of astonishment engraved on her face. What happened next surprised even Faith. Where is face was started to refigure, bits of flesh swimming to find connection. After a full 30 seconds, his face was as before. "Shit …" Faith mumbled. Naraku's laugh filled the corridor. "You arrogant bastard, just because one shot didn't do it doesn't mean I can't kill you." Faith gritted. His smile faltered. "Now, where are your manners? Surely you are not threatened by me?" _Yep, cocky, just like in the visions. _"You wish …" She muttered.

Faith stared at his face intently, newly restored to it's morbid beauty. "Kagura," Naraku motioned, her awareness turned to him. "Leave us." Kagura began to dispute when Faith held up her hand. "It's cool, don't worry about it. Go have some fun … and don't get lost." Faith subtly joked. Kagura faintly smiled and left the two to stand alone. "Now … cut the shit, Naraku. I know what you are going to do. Let's get this over with." Naraku held out his hand. Faith just stared at it. He withdrew it to his side.

"Clean up. You are filthy." Naraku stated simply. _What the hell? _Faith thought in confusion. "What are you up to?" Faith eyed him. _Suspicious? Me? Fancy that. _She watched him as he began to walk away from her, the gun still pointed. He tilted his head back and glanced at her. "By the way, human … interesting hair." And with that he left. Faith sighed. "Yea … I'm gonna bet my hair color is what he's thinking about." She shrugged and turned to find her new found buddy: Kagura.


	17. Chapter 16: Inuyasha and the aftermath

Sango, Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku and Shippo all stood together under Japan's mid-afternoon sun. The heat beating on their bare skin causing sweat to trickle in competition with their panic. The atmosphere seemed all wrong. The sky was clear, faint signs of clouds loomed at the horizon almost as if they were asking for permission to become a part of the perfectly blue sky. The sound of wind dancing on the grass blended with the dim sound of birds praising the beauty, completely oblivious of the tragedy to come.

They stood in shock trying to process what all had just taken place. Faith running off with Kagura, Inuyasha's failed attempt at being hero, and Kagome's choice. The events played in their heads like a movie that kept skipping. Inuyasha's mind was re-playing the scene with his own narrative thoughts. _She left. She knew, but she still left. I wasn't enough to keep her here. She'd rather risk her life than to stay with me …_ Inuyasha's gut clenched. He wasn't nervous. He was hurt. The thought of her 'betrayal' welled inside of him like a knot trying to consume his entire body, heart first. Confusion, Hurt, Anger, Worry, Love, Betrayal, Passion … Inuyasha spun around quickly, his fists slamming into the dry dirt. His face completely contorted in that of rage. He was first to break out of the trance of surprise.

"Dammit!" Inuyasha roared, his fists sending dust in a dance of rage. Kagome stepped forward to meet him. "Inuyasha …" Kagome whispered. His head turned sharply to her and the moment he saw the look of worry on her face, his glare softened. _Kagome … _

"Inuyasha?" Kagome repeated. He stood upright, "What, Kagome?" He answered, a little more harsh than anticipated. Sango, Miroku and Shippo all looked on at the two in interest. Miroku stared with more intent than the others. _What happened between Inuyasha and Faith? Does he truly feel for her, or is there something we have missed? _

Inuyasha sighed in an attempt to regain himself. He failed. "How could you just let her go, Kagome!? I could have saved her." Inuyasha accused, anger and regret seething out of every word. Kagome's face dropped a little, "I … I didn't know. I didn't know what to do." She stuttered. Sango touched her shoulder, "It's ok, Kagome. None of us did, it took us by surprise. It's not your fault." She soothed, eyeing Inuyasha. "Yeah … back off Inuyasha. Kagome didn't know!" Shippo offered trying his best to look menacing at the half-breed. Inuyasha growled, "We don't have time for this! We gotta save her from that Bastard Naraku. If he lays a finger on her I'll rip his throat out with my claws!" He declared, claws flexing for emphasis, dirt and blood mixed underneath the tip giving his anger an edge of savagery. "How? How are we supposed to find her, we've been trying to track Naraku for awhile now, how do you plan to rescue her?" Kagome asked, a negative accent on the word 'rescue'. If he was paying attention he would have noticed the little sign of jealousy and bitterness in her statement. Of course, he wasn't paying attention.

That was it. If they thought Inuyasha was losing it before, they were totally in for it. "So, what!? We're supposed to sit around like nothin' happened? No way! Do what ya want, I'm outta here!" He yelled, and with that proclamation, Inuyasha turned on his heel and sprinted for the woods. Miroku started after him until Sango reached for his arm. He turned to face her only to see her staring at Kagome. "Wait …" Sango whispered. In that moment, Miroku and Sango were thinking the same thing: _Poor Kagome. _

**I know it's short guys, I'm sorry but I needed **

**A small chapter to link the two sides. **

**Sorry about my lonnnnggg absence! So much has happened and college is crazy and work is crazy and everything is crazy with an extra side of psycho. **

**Sorry! **

**Thank you guys for sticking with me though!! I love the reviews! Thank you so much, I am so glad you guys still like the story. I know the last chapter with Kagura was a bit odd, but it has a purpose. Scout's honor –holds up hand-!! **

**Until next time!!! **


	18. Chapter 17: Challenge

_He looked into her eyes, his breath matched hers in a ragged rhythm. Sweat collected on his brow as his eyes fluttered open. Faith looked up to meet his eyes with no expression. Inuyasha looked down and allowed a small smile to flicker across his features. He drew in a breath of air as he rolled to his side, his arm loosely drawn over her bare stomach. He nuzzled his face into her neck and drew in her scent, all the while her mind was pondering, 'Why me?' _

Faith walked through each corridor, not knowing exactly what she was looking for. Thoughts of Inuyasha and the others filtered in and out of her mind. She wasn't exactly sure what she was looking for, but hey, no one's perfect. Her bare feet lightly touched the splintered floor, treading lightly as if she were far away. She let out a frustrated sigh, "Ok, somebody better get their ass out here and tell me where I am supposed to go," Silence. "Now, or I'm going, dammit." She added. Silence. She stepped backwards. "This is me going. Yep, heading for the exit. Not my fault. The exit is getting closer." She drew, buying time. Time for what? Eh, that part of the plan was still under construction. The exit was just beyond reach, her hand flipped the safety off of the Browning. _Trigger happy, who me? _

Her foot barely breached the exit before something caught her wrist and flung her back inside. Faith instantly went down on one knee straightening her shot. The barrel stared straight into Naraku's chest. His eyes studied her intently. Normally Faith would be embarrassed or say something catty, but something told her it wasn't sexual. "What are you staring at half-breed?" She said coldly. His stare snapped to meet her gaze, a look of anger swam beneath his eyes. "You know nothing." He replied, his voice just as cold. Faith wiped any evidence of emotion off of her face as she stared at Naraku. "I know more than you'd like me to know." She replied, matching his stoicism.

"I told you to clean yourself, you reek of that mutt." Faith let out something short of a harsh laugh. "No offense, but I don't really do orders … especially from somebody who wants me dead." Faith stood up, feeling silly having a stare-down on one knee. With her gun never leaving target, she straightened out her shirt and adjusted her wrist sheaths. He turned once more leaving her confused. "So what's with the disappearing act? I'm going to take that as I can leave." Faith called out. Naraku slightly turned his head to face her, his long black hair wrapping around the nape of his neck. "Follow," was all he said. She sighed and put the gun back in the holster. She didn't flip the safety off, she wasn't that comfortable.

Even though her mind was screaming for her not to, She followed him. It seemed they were merely back tracking where she already came from, but sure enough, they were somewhere new. Ok, so maybe the term 'new' was used a bit too soon. Unless of course the word new meant ratty, rotting pieces of wood with nothing but a small window … then, yep, it's brand new. "Ew." Faith breathed. Naraku chuckled, "Does it not fit your tastes?" He mocked. _I would love nothing more than to wipe that shit eating grin off that bastard's face. Screw it …. _"You better wipe that shit eating grin off your face." Who says you can't speak your mind? "So eloquently put." He mocked again. _1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10. _She breathed. _1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10._ Naraku cocked his head to the side in curiosity. "What are you doing?" He asked. Faith looked up at him. "Counting." She simply stated. "For what?" Faith walked up to him a few steps closer. "I heard if you count to 10, it relaxes you. And now, it's the only thing keeping me from blowing your face off again."

He grinned, he stepped up so close to where their bodies were almost touching. He bent down and whispered in her ear, "You can't hurt me." She smiled into his neck and whispered back, "Wanna bet your life on it?" With that she stepped back. She had to move fast if it was going to work. She hit the floor, kicking her left leg up with all of her strength up into his knee cap, shoving it out of place. He grunted as he stumbled back. She took the opportunity to swing her right leg around and knock him on the floor as she quickly straddled him with her knife at his neck. He chuckled again. "Is that what you would refer to as a 'shit-eating grin'?" He asked. "You bet," She paused, "You lose." She added. She stared down into the intensity of his eyes, a look of arrogance plastered on his face. "Not quite," he reputed.

A momentary look of confusion swept Faith's features until something grabbed her forearm and slammed her into the far wall. She winced in pain as she tried to regain her breathing, the shock of hitting the wall sent a tingling into her legs and arms that didn't allow her to move. She opened her eyes and looked down at Naraku and his transformed arm holding her up. The long, flesh-like tentacle wrapped around her skin tightly, she couldn't feel that arm any longer and she knew there was going to be major bruising later. She laughed which confused him. "That's cheating." She squirmed a bit to try and regain some of the circulation in her arm. She grunted in frustration, "Ok, down. Now." He set her down, to her surprise, gently.

"No more than your choice of weapons." He slid in. "Huh?" "You said I cheated, I did not. No more than you and your weapons. Strip your weapons and I will not change." _He's a demon, I'm less than half of his size. Maybe I could take him? Naw. _"Nah, I'm good where I am." She decided. He gave a slight nod, "Very well, human."

He turned his back on her and paced towards the door, "Kagura …" he said in a low monotonous voice. On cue, she stepped in the room from behind the wall. "Take her to bathe, I will say this once more, she reeks of that mutt. When you are finished, bring her here." He finished, Faith walked up and stuck her hand into the air, "Yeah, standing right here." He just looked at her. "Ok, then … " She finished. "Let's go." Kagura commanded as she left the room.

Before Faith followed, she turned to face Naraku, a cocky smile played on her lips as she stared at the expressionless half-demon. "You know, she will get away from you one day, and I'll be on the sidelines cheering." She didn't even look for his expression, she just turned on her heel and left. His eyes narrowed as his gaze followed her out. _Who are you? _


	19. Chapter 18: Help me get away from myself

Faith walked out of the room leaving Naraku speechless, a huge grin plastered on her face. When she was out of his view, she let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Ok," she said, "Where am I supposed to 'wash up'?" she asked herself. A moment of silence passed as her eyes took in her surroundings. "Here." A voice said causing Faith to jump. Who's jumpy? She turned around and saw that Kagura was standing behind her pointing towards a room shielded by a shambled room divider. Faith regained herself, nodded and crossed the room towards where she was pointing. Kagura stepped out of the way and let her pass. "I heard what you said. What do you think you are doing?" Kagura accused in a low whisper. "What, you think if you whisper he won't hear you?" Faith replied sarcastically. Kagura's eyes widened a little in surprise, Faith rolled hers. "You need me. You desperately looked to Sesshomaru, Inuyasha and even Kohaku to help you get way from him. I can do it, you know you want me to." Kagura's eyes went blank, her emotion drained away from her face as she lost herself in thought. _Who is she? How can she know so much of me? Who does she think she is?_

A look must have passed over Kagura's face because Faith asked "What gives? Do you want my help? If not, let me leave now." She looked up and met Faith's eyes, the familiar defiance returning. "He would kill you if you left." She snarled. Faith laughed. "He could try." With that, she turned her back to Kagura and left towards her bath.

Faith slid behind the divider and saw what she was guessing the then called 'bath.' More like hole in the ground, but in a **quaint **way. By the looks of it, the little bathing area seemed to be 5 maybe 6 feet deep with small, dead flowers floating on the surface.

_Cute …_

She lifted her thin, spaghetti strap over her head, leaving her back bare while stepping close to the water. She slowly stripped her pants off, one leg at a time. The holster laid gently over her pants and her gun close enough to the edge to where she could reach for it if needed. She kept her knives on as her cold body snaked into the warm water, the steam engulfing her face in a burst of heat. She thought about what could possibly be warming this much water, but she quickly shrugged it off. Her newly pink hair sprawled out of the water's edge as she breathed in the scent of water and decaying flowers. She instantly regretted it as she held back the urge to gag. She laid her head back when she noticed Kagura's shadow.

"I'm not going to run, I'm naked." She called out. No answer. "You are really starting to get on my nerv …" "Why did you kiss me?" Kagura interrupted. Faith chuckled. "Ah, so that's your problem. I know I'm good but come on." She joked. "Answer the question." Kagura demanded sternly. "Yeesh, touch crowd." "Now, human." She demanded, only louder. Faith looked up at her from the water, a small grin shadowing her face. "Come down here and find out." Faith said huskily. Kagura let out a little gasp of surprise. "Just get in." Faith stated simply. Faith gave her full on glare, and Kagura reluctantly obliged. Her kimono slipped off with ease as she lowered herself opposite of Faith.

Faith leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "I'm in deep shit, aren't I?" Faith asked her. Kagura went to deny it, but thought better of it. She lowered her head, "Yes. It would appear that way." Kagura shifted her weight causing the water to give a slight splash. "What are you?" She asked. Faith looked at her through one eye. "Huh?" Faith questioned. "You are not of this time, this I know, but how do you know about me. You seem to know so much of Naraku and others as well. How?" "I don't know. I have visions and for some crazy reason, in my time I kept having visions of everyone in this time. You, Sessy, Naraku, Inuyasha …"

As soon as she said Inuyasha, her voice went quiet with guilt. Images of them flashed through her mind. She quickly shook them away and concentrated on Kagura. "You have to help me." Faith finally said. Before Kagura could respond, Faith added, "You have to help me get away from myself." "What do you mean?" Kagura questioned. "I answered your question." "What question?" "Why I kissed you. You can have my everything. It is why I am going to kiss you again," she finished. Kagura just stared at her as Faith swam the short distance between them. Her wet hair clung to the sides of her face as she reached up to touch Kagura's. Kagura waited obediently while Faith touched their lips gently. The kiss was light, skin pressed to each other as her lips hugged Kagura's. Faith drew back to look in her eyes, but she found that they were closed. The second kiss was harder, more needy. Their hands explored each other's bare bodies as the water slid gracefully down pale skin. The heat pressed them closer, and Naraku witnessed it all, thoughts collecting in his plotting mind.


	20. Chapter 19: Pissing Contest

**Naraku could not help the twinge of jealousy he felt as he witnessed his rebellious servant touch Faith. The display of desperation tore at his insides as he turned away from Kanna's mirror. "Disgusting …" He muttered to himself.**

**"Leave me, Kanna." He whispered harshly to the emotionless beacon. The young girl made her exit with no signs of protest. Other than her leaving, there was no sign of acknowledgement. Wearing only a** **shitagi, his bare chest reflected shadowed moonlight, each muscle glowed brightly, each line achieving near perfection. Jealousy and rage raped his mind as he reflected on his new guest. Jealous? Of her? He could not possibly want something as vile as that _thing _in his 'bath.' **

**His bare feet tread upon the fractured wood effortlessly, almost as if he were gliding. His long, ragged hair shifted down his back as he made his way through the abandoned castle. His journey was to one room only, he simply had to get away. The smell of arousal swelled inside the castle like two bitches in heat. His narrowed eyes focused on his destination. He was going to make her pay, that little bitch invaded his mind for the last time. She was going to pay …**

**His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash and seconds later the sound of the two girls laughing filled his ears. He turned around and saw Faith and Kagura standing in the hallway, both naked, both laughing, the the exception of the knives on Faith's arms. **

**_Kagura? _He thought in confusion. He has never heard her laugh, nor has he seen her smile. To be honest, he never thought she was capable. Faith's arm was carelessly draped over Kagura's shoulders as they stumbled down the hallway. The laughter stopped abruptly when they saw Naraku. Kagura's eyes dropped to the floor immediately as a blush crept over her pale skin. Faith, however, started laughing louder. She inhaled deeply. "Wow ... this is awkward." Faith stated. **

**Naraku's eyes examined the girl's body. Water still clung to her as if she were the source of their existence. His eyes trailed down her pale neck, the pink hair clinging around the nape. Down her collar bone, her shoulders down to her fingertips. The curve of her hips reflected the same moonlight that touched his skin. He barely traced over her womanhood as his eyes continued down her long, slender legs. Scars trailed down her thighs, one in particular tainted a large portion of her right leg.**

**He heard her chuckle. "See something you like?" She taunted as she straightened, almost as if she were modeling for him. Wait … she was. She slowly walked towards him, making sure her hips swayed in just the right way. A seductive grin placed itself on her lips. Naraku watched her as she came closer. If he was feeling anything, she couldn't tell. His face portrayed no emotion. He simply watched as she walked towards him. She stood only inches from him and stood on her toes. Their faces were so close they were almost touching. Mustering the most innocent smile she could, she leaned into his ear and whispered, "You wish …" He moved violently to shove her away, but she quickly shifted to where she was behind him. "Too slow." She mocked. When she came around behind him, she unsheathed a custom knife from her wrist sheath and held it to his throat. The knife was custom made, another present from Erych. The special serrated edge made it easy to slice into almost any material, including bone. It was his turn to chuckle. **

**"Have you not learned your lesson, human? Your weapons do not harm me." He stated condescendingly. He turned to face her with a small smirk on his face. Faith was surprised, but damn it all if she let it show. He looked down at her, his arm snaked around her bare waist and pulled her closer. Their bodies touching, sending chills up her spine. His hands were unnaturally cold and his fingers danced on her skin causing her to wince. "Unlike the mutt, I do not fall so easily." He whispered, his warm breath spread over her features. The smell was similar to that of the dead flowers in her bath. Not in a gross way, just in a 'not-quite-right' way. She glared up at him and let out a tension that she did not realize she had. "Don't touch me." She warned. He snickered as he licked the side of her face. Yep, the tension was back. She didn't look away, she continued to stare defiantly at him. **

**"Can't play your own game?" He asked. A small smile formed, "You couldn't handle my game." She retorted. They stared at each other, both waiting for the other to cave. Kagura just stood there, watching helplessly. Faith was bored. **

**"Look, I'm done with this macho guy crap. I don't have to prove anything, this isn't a pissing contest. If it is, then we will just have to see who is better … but not now." She stepped back, fully aware of how cold it was. "At least let me get some clothes on first. If I'm going to beat you, I want to do it with at least a little pride." He nodded. "Get dressed. Kagura, you know where to take her." Naraku said over his shoulder. **

**He was already continuing on his previous destination. He had a specific place in mind, and soon, Faith would know exactly what that place was.**

**Thank you QueenofCrisis, Killnarakusetmefree, and secretlife for your reviews! I'm glad you like the story so far, it's going to get kind of morbid then Inuyasha comes back in. Sessy will be in it later, hopefully. :) Thanks, guys! **


	21. Chapter 20: Full picture Clear Intention

Faith followed Kagura down the narrow hallway. _She knows where to take me? So, tell me why I don't think I'm going to like where I'm going? _Faith thought solemnly.

She continued to walk in silence. The laughter that bonded the two girls together had long ago faded. Now there was an ominous anxiety that was so thick, it felt suffocating.

Naraku had let her get dressed, weapons in all. The holster felt safe around her shoulders and she fiddled with the wrist sheaths. Partly out of habit, mostly out of nervousness. Jumpy, who's jumpy?

They continued to follow a very uninteresting path when Faith stopped dead in her tracks. A familiar knot filled her stomach, as if something were spilling out of her body. A guttural sound escaped Faith's lips seconds before she fell to the ground, eyes clinched tightly.

_Inuyasha running, a look of determination dominated his features._

_Flashes of Faith and Inuyasha together, skin to skin. A flash of Faith spilling her secrets to him, as he wiped a single tear away from her face._

_He ran into the castle, appearing to be calling out to someone. Naraku came towards him with blood on his hands. A few moments later, Kagura came with Faith lying lifelessly in her arms. Thoughts haunted her eyes as Inuyasha froze giving Naraku enough time to send him flying, something embedded in Inuyasha's shoulders. He hit the ground, tears threatening to come out of his eyes. He wanted to run to her. To see if she was alive. He didn't. He just stayed there, because he already knew the answer._

Faith opened her eyes, fully realizing how closely tight they were. Her breath came in ragged intervals as beads of sweat trickled down the sides of her face. She tried to say something to Kagura, but she couldn't get the words out. Every time she tried to saying something, there seemed to be a pain her lungs that held her back.

She swallowed, only managing to swallow the pain enough to say "Hold me up." Kagura knelt down beside her, arms lifted her enough to cradle Faith into her lap. Kagura looked down at her, a hint of worry surfaced. "What happened?" She asked tentatively as she pushed the hair from Faith's eyes. Faith shifted her weight. Bad idea. A sudden burst of pain hit causing her to cry out, her body fell back against the Wind Demon. Kagura asked again, "What happened, Faith?" Faith let out a small cough as her eyes rolled up to match Kagura's. "Where are you taking me?" Faith asked, her voice small, but the tone was very to the point. "What?" Kagura responded, slightly taken back. Not exactly the response she was looking for.

"I said … where … are … you … taking … me?" Each word was drawn out to emphasis the directness. Kagura looked away, eyes searching the floor in a desperate attempt at distraction. Suddenly, Faith had enough energy to get up, and then some. Seconds later, Faith had her pinned to the far wall by her neck. "Where the fuck are you taking me, Kagura … what's Naraku going to do?" Faith demanded.

"I …" "Don't lie to me." Faith interrupted, teeth gritting in anger. Maybe it wasn't anger. Maybe it was just tiredness. Tired of always having some crap going on. Couldn't a girl go one day without someone trying to kill her? Naw.

She slammed Kagura's head into the wall twice, the sound echoed throughout the hallway. Kagura's eyes fluttered as she tried to focus. "I do not know what you are talking about." Kagura declared, voice strangled against the pressure of Faith's grip. Faith laughed. Not the happy 'Just Kidding, let's go have smoothies' laugh. Nope, it was the laugh that made you want to shit yourself.

She tightened her grip and used her weight against Kagura to thrust her heavily on the ground. Faith stood up and slammed her heel against Kagura's cheek. Fresh blood tricked down the side of Kagura's face, caked with dirt from the floor.

She unsheathed a knife from her wrist, and dug it into her palm. Faith's blood poured over her palm and dripped onto Kagura's face. "There … you fucking happy?"

She went to shove her bloodied hand into the demon's face when a hand caught her wrist in mid-air. "Enough." Naraku spoke calmly. "No, it's not." Faith replied just as coolly. "You want blood? You got it. You and that little bitch." She stood upright to face Naraku. He tsked. "Now, is that anyway to treat your lover?" He mocked. Faith glared at him, his bare chest had some of her blood on it. She didn't know how it got there, it must have dripped off of her hand. "Fuck you." She gritted. He chuckled. "Such language. Surely you are not angry?" He continued to tease. Suddenly, she wasn't angry anymore. She felt light and distant. Like she always did before she killed something. She liked it this way. It sure as hell beat feeling pissed. Nobody's worth anything if their emotions get the hold of them.

"No … who said I was angry?" She said sweetly, a smile placed on her lips. A smile that never reached the coldness of her eyes. Naraku grinned. He knew that look, he knew it well. He also knew that things were going to get very interesting.


	22. Chapter 21: My libido is so on time out

* * *

Ok, Fair warning, there is a pretty big "lemon" in this chapter.

Ok, so, warning's over.

* * *

Faith stood there, her body completely still against the eerie quiet. Naraku stared at her with a perceptive grin on his face. "Well, then? What are you?" Naraku teased. He was provoking her, and she knew it. "I'm me. Sorry to disappoint." She said coldly. There was no way she was going to give him the satisfaction.

Her fingertips brushed the handle of her Browning, tucked safely in her holster … just in case. Better to be safe than dead, yeah?

"I am a Demon, Faith." Naraku stated the obvious. She wanted to say 'Yeah, I noticed', but decided against to keep that one to herself. See? Who said she wasn't growing up? "Bully for you." Faith chose instead. He held up his hand to silence her, which was too bad, because she had a pretty witty repartee for him. Damn.

"Be silent," he commanded in that voice that made you want back up into the nearest corner. Tempting, but she just stood her ground. "I smell the anger in you, Human. You are dripping with it," Naraku glided forward, putting him a little closer than she would like to have been. His hand rose and brushed her hair aside, baring her ear to Naraku. He bent forward and whispered huskily, "It is simply delicious."

He expected her to hit him, shoot him, do _something._ Instead, she laughed. An oddly stoic laughter that could even make Naraku second guess himself. He took one smooth step back as he looked down at her, his eyes held a slight surprise. She wouldn't have even noticed if she wasn't paying attention to his reaction. _Good. _

She took one step forward to recover the step he stole back. He took one more back, and she followed suit. Naraku must have noticed what he was doing because he quickly regained his composer and stood his ground. His eyes matched hers in an equally cold stare.

Then, two things happened at once. The first being in one swift movement, his hand was wrapped around her neck knocking them both to the ground. The impact caused Faith's vision to lose focus for a moment while she recovered her breathing. The next, was she was staring down the barrel right in between his eyes. That was fast, even for her.

Faith stared up at the half-demon and was painfully aware that he was on top of her. His hand still around her neck, his hips pressing into her groin, forcing her legs farther apart. She glanced down, following the trails of their bodies. She noticed his other hand was planted firmly on the side of her leg, making sure she was held in place.

His hair fell over the right side of her face giving the allusion of privacy even though Kagura stood only a few feet away, completely silent. Her breathing was beginning to slow down under the pressure as lowered her arm that was holding the gun. It was uncomfortable and she felt silly just laying there with him at gunpoint. Her arm was at an awkward angle, so putting it down was harder than it looked, but she managed. Barely.

Faith grunted as she shifted her weight underneath the Half-Demon. "Get … off … of … me." She managed to get out between clinched teeth. He chuckled and ground his hips even further. She cried out, but not exactly in pain. Underneath the fingertips that were still on her neck, he could feel her pulse quicken. He meant to choke her, but the plan changed the moment he touched her.

The demon in him could smell her, he could smell that she didn't entirely want him to get up. That thought caused another low chuckle as he rotated his hips once more. Faith clenched her eyes shut for a brief moment as she resisted the urge to cry out again. "Now." She demanded, though her voiced sounded breathy, even to her. She started to push up on him when he shoved her back down, more movement between her legs, and this time, a small sound came out of Naraku's throat.

She could feel him through the cloth, smooth and hard. The tip of him grazed the inner part of her thigh as the shaft rubbed against her. She involuntarily raised her hips to meet his, as his breath was caught in his throat. "No, you have to get up." She whispered. His right hand slid down the shadow of her leg, his elongated fingernails tracing the surface. "No." His strangled voice responded.

That cleared her mind enough for her to struggle. A small feeling of panic welled up inside of her as she pushed upwards. "No, you have to get up." She repeated, "I can't do this." She continued to struggle, which only added more friction between the two bodies. She froze immediately. Her eyes widened as she looked into his eyes. "Fuck." Was all she said before she used her free hand to bring his lips to hers. He let out a low moan into her mouth as she bit his lower lip. The kiss was so intense, it was as if they were drinking each other in.

_Fuck, Fuck, Fuck! Why do I always go for the "bad guy?" _

Rationality has left the building. She broke away from the kiss, leaving the two of them gasping. She motioned towards his pants. "Off." Was all she said as she looked up at him. He grinned. "No." was his response once more. "Off!" She demanded once more. He shook his head, almost playfully. "Bastard …" she breathed as her hands started ripping them away. When they were around his knees, she used her bare foot to kick the rest off. He chuckled, "In a hurry?" He said calmly. She started to say something but stopped when she looked down. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. He was huge! She laughed nervously, "No hurry."

His grin widened as his arm slid around her waist to bring her upwards. His fingers carefully undid the top of her pants and in one swift movement, they were off. _Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. _She was excited, she was nervous, she was confused as hell. She was wearing her thin spaghetti strap and a thin pair of black panties. The tip of his fingernail traced the edge of her panties, lifting them off of her skin one inch at a time. She writhed against him in anticipation. One leg. The other leg.

She growled at him as she placed her hands on his shoulders roughly. "You are way to slow." She growled as she shoved him on the harsh wooden floors. She straddled him just above his groin, as she crossed her arms on either sides of her shirt and flung it carelessly over her head. With one slick movement of his hips, he slid inside of her. A surprised gasp caused her to double over, her pink hair blending in with his black.

His arms snaked around her back as he clawed his way down her waist. She cried out again, but this time, he joined her. He used his knees to slide his way out until only the tip was barely inside of her. She grabbed his hair and thrust her hips to meet his, causing him to crash inside of her, once more. He rolled her onto her back once more as he slammed inside of her repeatedly. Each time their hips met, she cried out. Her back shifted on the wooden floors, but she didn't notice. His hands encircled her own as he gripped tightly. She squeezed his hand forcefully in return from the pressure of his thrusts. Her legs were encircled around his waist as she raised her head to the bend of his neck. The pulse, the beat of the blood rushing beneath the skin danced in front of her eyes. She raised her hand to move his hair to the side, giving her a clearer view of the pulse in his neck. She used her the thumb to rub the spot that tempted her as he continued to slam into her, waves of pleasure washing over her skin and in her stomach. He continued to let the pressure of himself build inside of her until she was so close. So close.

She couldn't handle it, she raised her lips to that sweet spot on his neck. She licked at it which brought a deeper moan from his throat. "Oh, god…" he muttered as her teeth plunged into his skin. She bit down hard, causing the skin around her teeth to give, allowing the coppery taste of his blood to flow mercilessly into her mouth. He writhed underneath her as he spilled himself inside of her, a long, fierce cry raped his voice. The moment she felt his release and his blood on her tongue, she came, her walls tightening around his shaft and her nails digging into his shoulders. They collapsed, breath ragged and forced. He was still inside of her, small spasms in the head caused their bodies to react. Sweat clung to their skin as their arms were tangled in clingy desperation.

She took a deep breath. "I'm too … tired, right now. But I'm giving you a really mean look in my head." He chuckled. "I will be sure to remind you later when you are more … able." He stressed that last word to emphasize their position. "I'm thinking mean thoughts. Oh, beware, buddy. I'm so going kick your ass when I get up." She laughed then and added. "But not right now." He cuddled his face into the bend of her neck and breathed in her scent. "Not right now …" He whispered back to her.

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**Thankyou Killnarakusetmefree! I'm glad you like it. Sorry, I know I'm getting pretty off topic with the story. I'm going somewhere with it … scout's honor! **

**Please, R&R. I'd love you forever! **


	23. Chapter 22: Common Ground

A familiar scent danced around Naraku's nose, his eyes closed in a lazy sleep. The smell dared him to wake up, to open his eyes, to realize what happened.

He was aware now. He had stared at the black scene of his eyelids long enough. It was time to wake up.

His eyelids flickered open as he looked down at a sleeping Faith. His arm cuddling their bodies closer. He could feel her breathing, not only her breath on his chest, but the slow movements of her body against his. Her hair was stringy from the sweat, much like his. He laid his head back down on the harsh wood and closed his eyes once more. _That wench … how could I let this happen? She will pay …_

He lifted his head to look down at the sleeping Faith once more. The small movement made her cuddle to him closer in her sleep. Before he could stop it, a very small smile played across his lips. _That little wench …_ He thought once more, only less irate.

He began to laugh, that deep chuckle that seemed to come from the very bottom of his throat. Faith groaned herself awake. "Ok, that's creepy. Can you not do that when I first wake up?" She opened her eyes and took in **everything.** "Oh shit. …" she mumbled. "What?" Naraku asked simply. "I forgot." She quietly whispered. He chuckled again. "Come now, I think I should be insulted to be forgotten so quickly." She gave him a weak smile in return, "Nothing personal." She replied as she rolled her eyes. "I would get up, but the whole no clothes thing isn't really helping my determination." Naraku grinned, "Oh, please, you are more than welcome." She punched him in the chest, "Yeah, in your dreams, pervert." She said while laughing.

There was a moment of silence. Faith sighed, "So … are you still going to kill me or just some major torture? Cause I kinda need to know if you're a fuck and go kind of guy." Naraku stiffened as he thought about it. _Could I do it? Could I kill her? She is a weakness, she needs to suffer. However …_

"Ok … can I take that silence as a maybe?" She joked. "It is none of your concern, human." He said coldly. That was it. Jokes gone, Faith's face fell into that familiar neutrality. "Uh, kind of is, **lover.**" Faith replied, the word 'lover' dripping with an angry sarcasm. She continued, "Tell me."

_Wow, it's totally hard to sound menacing when you're cuddling the guy in your birthday suits._

She waited a few seconds more, and when she didn't get an answer, she stood up suddenly not caring whether she was naked or not. "Fine … whatever." She quickly put on her pants and shirt. She couldn't find her undergarments, though they were probably around there somewhere. She reached over to grab her weapons when he quickly grabbed her arm roughly.

She glared at him through the corner of her eye. "Let go of me." She gritted. His grip tightened. If he kept going, she was going to have a wicked bruise. She turned as much as she could in his grip to face him. "Get the fuck off of me … now." She said sternly. He did, just not in the way she wanted.

He switched from grabbing her arm, to grabbing her chin roughly. "Quiet." He growled threateningly. "Or what, asshole?" She managed to say, even though it felt like he was breaking her jaw. "Bite your tongue, human." He growled once more. Faith managed that infamous smile that never reaches her eyes. "Aw, but why? I have you for that." She said mockingly. He used his grip on her jaw to thrust her back, causing her to hit the wall closest to her. _Yeah, this never gets old _ Faith thought sarcastically. "Stay silent." Naraku commanded menacingly. She started to say 'Make me', when she thought back to her vision and decided it probably wasn't for the best. See? Who said she wasn't growing up? Silly buggers.

She just grinned that shit-eating grin and said, "Whatever you say, capt'n." He narrowed his eyes at her as he tried to make sense of what she just said. She just looked on, grin on her face, not a care in the world. You might be saying it might be nice in la-la land. It is. Very nice. Especially in situations like these.

"What are you grinning at, human?" He asked incredulity. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." She replied all smiles and fake giggles. "You will answer me when I ask a question of you." He directed, which only caused her to snort with a short laughter. Yes … snort. "Oh, I will. All right then, Mr. Tough Guy, tell me what I'm 'grinning' at." He moved to step closer to her. "Answer. My. Question." He drew slowly. "I'm sorry, what was the question? I forgot, silly me." She replied putting on her best ditzy persona she could manage. He growled. "You are a waste of my time, human. No more games." Her smile faltered around the edges. "A waste of your time, eh? Fine. Then let me leave." "No." He replied simply.

"Why?" Faith asked. "My actions are none of your concern." She stayed silent for about a millisecond. "So … if you're not going to kill me, oh dramatic one, then why make me hang around. You've already got lackeys to do your dirty work for ya."

When it was Naraku's turn to be silent, Faith caught on. Or, At least a little bit. She ran at him, his eyes widened as he prepared for the attack. The next thing Naraku knew, Faith threw her arms around his shoulders and … hugged him? She just hugged him. No knives, no guns, just a simple hug.

She stepped back and looked up at Naraku. "Thanks." Faith said simply. He narrowed his stare once more. "Try to hold back the suspicion, Hun. I just mean that nobody has wanted me to hang around before. Well, Inuyasha and his little pals supposedly did, but it's not the same." It was his turn to laugh now, that short barely there chuckle that sent shivers down Faith's back. "Do not flatter yourself, human." "Don't worry, half-demon, you flatter me enough for the both of us." She replied emphasizing the word 'half-demon'. "I am Naraku, you will address me by that name." He said callously. "Fine, I am Faith, you will address me by that name … so … there." Faith replied curtly. Was that childish? Eh, who cares. "I will call you what I wish, _human._" "Whatever you say, _half-demon." _The two stared at each other, captured in the ongoing staring contest that seems to be pretty popular between Naraku and Faith.

Naraku turned on his heels and began to walk away. No way, no how was Faith going to chase after him. Nope. Not a chance. Not going to happen. He'll be the one doing the chasing. Yep.

"Wait, where are you going?" Faith called out. Damn.

"Out." He called over his shoulder. He stopped suddenly and turned around to face Faith. She was standing there, her hair flung in wild strands framing her pale face perfectly. "You may stay, I will return shortly."

qOk, so he was trying to be nice. Maybe. Or at least, his version of civil. He was a difficult person, so Faith could understand. Believe it or not, Faith has been called difficult a time or two in the past. Who'da thunk it?

The corner of her lips turned upwards in a small smile. He noticed, and somewhere deep inside of him, he liked it. Very deep. But she knew where, because somewhere deep inside of her, she liked it too.


	24. Chapter 23 One reunion slash breakup

As soon as Naraku was out of sight, Faith slumped down the closest wall. Her arms clenched around her knees, her eyes closed tightly. She steadied her breath as she thought about the entire roller coaster called Naraku. _It's weird. He's the first person to get me. The "evil bastard" that everyone hates, is the one I most relate to. Funny, that. _

She let her breath ease out slowly as she cleared her mind. Cleared it of the confusion, cleared it of the uncertainty, and cleared it of the feeling of comfort. Faith looked up with a sudden thought, _What happened to Kagura? _The last time Faith saw her was when she was gettin' nasty on the right foot with Naraku. Eek. She shook her head rapidly to erase that thought. She grumbled in a quick frustration.

"Brain, you're really starting to suck." She said out loud. _Great, now I'm talking to my body parts. Yep, I'm insane._ She thought.

She used her hands to prop herself up the wall again. She stood up and adjusted the holster and clicked the safety on her gun. _Whoops._ Now that she had some time to actually gather her surroundings and a little thing called reality, she noticed the tears in her shirt, and the splinters embedded in her elbows. "Peachy." Faith grumbled.

She began to pick out each splinter, grimacing every time she touched one, until she felt that knot. That swelling of pain, and the loss of mental control. Before she fell, she leaned back towards the wall as she braced for her vision.

_Naraku and Faith stared at each other. _

_He took her hand and pulled her into his arms, an actual _

_Smile spread upon his lips. _

_His eyes didn't look angry, but peaceful. _

_He leaned into her ear and whispered, _

"_You gave me what my former self, Onigumo, wanted. _

_I never thought that I would find one like yourself. _

_You gave me comfort, and you gave me understanding that_

_I once sought from one named Kikyou._

_I wanted to thank you. I, Naraku, would like to give you thanks_

_For the gift you have given me. _

_You have showed me power and company. _

_I will forever be in your debt." _

_She tightened her grip on him and truly felt like she belonged. _

_Faith's eyes widened as she cried out._

_The pain in her back felt as though it were splitting her body_

_In half. She clawed at his back until she _

_Was finally able to pull away to look in his eyes. _

_She looked angry, and hurt, and in pain. _

_He looked peaceful, neutral, and observant. _

"_What …?" She tried to manage._

"_I did not lie. I meant every word."_

_He continued, _

"_You gave me life. I cannot have that, not until _

_I have completed what I have meant to do."_

_Faith slid down his body and collapsed to the floor._

_The blood poured from her wound. _

_So much blood. _

_Her vision started to close in. _

_This was it. _

_This was her last memory._

_He knelt down by her body._

_The blade soaked in it's sacrifice._

_He leaned into that same ear once more _

_And his last whisper to her was,_

"_I think I love you." _

She opened her eyes. Tears glittered at the corners of her eyes. _Fuck me running if I start to cry, _She thought angrily to herself. She slowly steadied herself. She glanced at both ends of the hallway. No one was there. She couldn't sense Kagura, and it's not like anyone can sense Kanna. Faith did the only thing she knew to do.

She ran. She ran like bloody hell.

_Inuyasha was running through broken limps, through thorny bushes and through sparse areas of sunlight to remind him of his way. His breath was in ragged intervals as the look of determination dominated his face. 'I will find you.' He thought over and over again. His concentration broke as a familiar scent filled his half-demon nose. "Ha. I smell that bastard Naraku. I'm getting' close."_

She ran. She ran, she ran, she ran, she ran. Her gym teacher would be proud. Who's lazy? She broke out of the castle and she had to stop in her tracks to regain her sight. It's been a few days since she saw sunlight. Takes a little getting used to.

Once she could see again, she took off. Not really sure where she was going, not really sure whether she cared or not. All she knew was she had to get away. She wanted to feel betrayed, but she couldn't. In her own morbid way, she could understand. Ok, so maybe a nice break-up would have been preferred over the whole stabbing bit, but hey, no plan's perfect.

A bird flew off a limb behind her causing her too look back. _Nervous? Who me? _She continued going nowhere fast. She was running until she saw the trees in front of her part. A red figure appeared in between them, a large weapon drawn. "Inuyasha?!" Faith half questioned, half yelled in surprise. He stopped in mid swing. "Faith?"

He stared at her in complete confusion. For about a whole millisecond before he dropped his weapon and ran at her. The same way Faith ran at Naraku. She braced herself, but it really was useless. He tackled her to the ground he hugged her so hard.

"What the hell were you thinkin' going off with Kagura like that!?" He yelled. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nice to see you to, Mutt." Faith muttered. She couldn't help it. She had to smile. Inuyasha was such a nit-wit sometimes. Inuyasha stopped suffocating her for a second and helped her up. "All I could smell was Naraku. I could have sworn I smelt him here." Inuyasha said. He cut himself off, and sniffed her. "Hey! Personal space, mutt." Faith yelped.

Inuyasha pointed at her. "You …" Inuyasha started accusingly. "You're the one I was smelling. Why do you mostly smell like Naraku?" Faith panicked. "Duh, moron, I was at his castle. He reeks, of course I'd smell like him." That sounded plausible enough. Apparently not, because Inuyasha quickly shot her down. "No … this is definitely different. He didn't …" He trailed off. "Didn't what?" Faith prodded which caused Inuyasha blushed.

"Didn't what?" Faith tried again. "Well," Inuyasha's blush deepened, "Uh, he didn't …to-touch you, did he?" He couldn't possibly be any more red. "No, god, why would you even say that!?" Faith yelled defensively. "Huh?" Inuyasha was way-way-way confused. Nope, he was passed confused and back to suspicion. He started to say something, but Faith cut him off. "Drop it." She said sternly. "Or what?" He countered defensively. She snickered, "Simple. I'll kick your ass." He huffed. "Like you could!" He yelled. She just laughed.

"What are you laughin' at, huh!?" Inuyasha was in a fighting stance, which only made her laugh more. "Yeah, I missed ya mutt." She giggled. "Who you calling Mutt?" He hollered. _Crazy how things can change. I wonder when I'll see him next? _Faith thought, lost in her own world while she watched Inuyasha throw a hissy fit. _Yep, definitely weird. _

**

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**

**Author's Note: **

**Confused yet? Haha! It'll make sense if you're confused at all. Promise. No worries, bummet. **

**Thanks killnarakusetmefree for all of your comments! I'm glad you are still liking it and I'm sorry I'm confusing you so much! Haha.**

**Please R&R! **


	25. Chapter 24 I want to see

Naraku returned later that evening, barely aware of his steps he was so lost in thought. _What could this mean, _he thought begrudgingly. _Have I lost so much focus over a pathetic human girl? What a waste, such a useless distraction. _He paused. _Curse that wench, I cannot be involved in such distractions. I'll teach her to …_ His thoughts were cut off when he stepped foot in the ethereal castle. The stillness, the staleness. Just like it was before Faith arrived. His eyes widened as his pace quickened. He gracefully made his way passed torn down walls and abandoned rooms until he reached the end of the passageway. He turned around quickly only to be face to face with Kagura. He reached out quickly, and before she even saw him move, he had her pinned by the neck against a splintered wall. Her eyes widened as she let out a small sound of surprise.

He narrowed his eyes at the Wind Sorceress. "Where … is … she?" He gritted, his voice trembling for multiple reasons. She adjusted her weight in his grip, which only caused him to grip tighter. "I … do-don't know." She gasped, her voice barely audible in her desperate attempt to gather air. His eyes grew sharp as he slammed her again. "You don't know?" He spat out. "You don't know, do you? How convenient!" His malicious tone furthered Kagura's fear. _What is he planning? Am I Faith's Keeper? Faith … why did you leave? _Kagura thought desperately. Her thoughts were running into each other, jumbled in her confusion.

Naraku let out a growl of frustration as he carelessly threw her to the floor. Her body skidded across the ragged floor as her she tried hard not to cry out. He sneered down at the struggling woman sprawled out onto the floor. "Useless." He growled as he stepped over her body.

She rolled over, grimacing in pain. "Faith …" She muttered, coughing up small amounts of blood. "Bastard." She managed to squeeze out before her world went black.

Naraku made his way back outside, the sun was just beyond the horizon, and the aura of the castle was blinding. He looked down at the soil and saw the rapid foot prints. He knelt down to find that they were indeed Faith's. "She ran?" He whispered to himself. He stood fully erect once more, his eyes following the trail of these frantic footsteps. "Kanna." He said sternly. His demonic voice reached his incarnation, Kanna, and a few moments later, the white clad apparition was walking towards Naraku. Her feet barely gracing the ground as she held her mirror absently.

"Yes, Master Naraku?" Her weak voice inquired. "Tell me, Kanna, what had that little wench running?" Kanna held out her mirror tentatively out for Naraku to see. He could see the moment he turned his back on her, the array of emotions that dominated her face, the pain, her falling to the floor. She whispered Naraku's name as a single tear tread down her pale cheek. Her eyes opened frantically as she fought back the tears. He saw her running, Inuyasha, he saw her and that mutt walking alongside each other casting playful glances at each other's direction.

"Enough." He demanded as he waved the scene away. "Kanna, what is it that she saw? What was her vision?" He questioned, his harsh whisper directed only at the girl. "I do not know. There is a demon not far that may help. He can see things as well. Just like Faith." Kanna's voice was so meek that it would be hard to hear her if one were not paying close attention. Naraku's curiosity was inflamed. "A demon, you say? Where is this demon?" Kanna's mirror showed a sickly looking demon, his body barely clothed, his pale, rot looking skin barely clinging to his poorly fed bones. The demon looked up as if he knew he was being watched, and Naraku's eyes widened to see that this demon had gouged out wounds where his eyes should be, and suddenly, the mirror turned blank.

Naraku recognized the cave that the deranged demon was residing in. "Get back inside. Kagura may be wounded." He ordered as he headed in the direction of the demon.

Without another word, Kanna soundlessly made her way back inside.

_Faith, I must know what you saw. Why were you crying? How dare you leave?_ Naraku thought. His anger gave way to something else. Something he could not quite recognize. Was it sadness? Or something else? And with that, he set out to find this demon, this seer. He was going to know what Faith saw, no matter how long it took. And then, he was going to find her.

* * *

Inuyasha and Faith have been walking for what seems like hours. Maybe it has been hours, who knew? They joked around, talked and all the while avoided the topic of Naraku. Faith wasn't sure she could handle talking about it right now. Even when she was talking to Inuyasha, her thoughts and focus would drift with Inuyasha's occasional push for attention.

Faith's vision rattled as she was once again violently brought back into reality. Inuyasha's playful smile soon disappeared when he saw the confused look on Faith's face. "Hey … you ok in there?" he whispered, concern was written all over his face. "Yeah, mutt. I've told you a thousand times that I'm just tired. No sleep and all that." His face contorted, his eyes glazed over in thought. "Hey," she nudged back, "Don't think too hard, you might hurt yourself." She laughed. "Ha … ha. You think you're just sooo funny, don't ya?" He retorted. She puffed up. "As a matter of fact, I am. I'm a comedic genius. Laugh before my funny-osity!" She swelled. He knocked her over in one push. "Yeah, yeah, keep talkin' weirdo."

He was now looking down at a fallen Faith. She laughed. "Oh, ok!" She said as she pulled him down on the ground. She started tickling him and he let out the most girlish giggle which naturally only caused Faith to laugh more. "Oh yea!?" He declared and quickly turned the tickle fest on her. "Take that!" He yelled. After a few minutes of a violent tickle fight, they laugh on the ground gasping for breath.

"Ha, I … totally … won … mutt." Faith breathed out. He laughed. "Keep dreamin'" he huffed. They laugh there for a few minutes before Inuyasha reached over and grabbed her hand. "Huh?" Faith responded out of surprise, her widened eyes now looking into Inuyasha's thoughtful ones. "Ya know, you really scared me back there. I thought something bad was gonna happen to you." Faith opened her mouth to say something when she realized she didn't know what to say. _I know. I'm sorry _She thought. Inuyasha continued. "I'll always find you. I'll always look." He said as he climbed to his feet, brushing the remaining leaves off of his robe. He offered his hand to Faith, and after a moment of bewilderment, she accepted. They looked at each other, and in that second, Faith knew that no matter what happened, Inuyasha would be there. And in that second she wanted to do the same.


	26. Chapter 25 And he knew

The sun was setting behind the grey outline of the forest as Naraku made his way past the smell of filth and decay. He knew he was getting close, he has been to this particular cave a few times before. The smell never went away, and the feeling of paranoia was just as fresh.

He has been searching for this place for a few nights now, memory failing in the parts where he needed it most. When he finally came to the first of a few clearings, he knew he was on the right path. And when he smelt the Death, he knew he was close. Asuka was an odd demon. Everyone knew of him, but very few knew him. He was a legend, one who was rumored to be more than a simple demon, but a god. One who was cast out of the design of creation because of his gift of sight. As punishment, his eyes were torn from their sockets, and his tongue ripped out.

Of course, this was all legend. Well, most of it. Naraku only met him once before, before he was known as Naraku.

With every step he took, the life around him seem to wither just a little more. Usually, this scenery would have made Naraku feel at "home", but this gradual change unnerved even him. Call it old fashioned, but he liked his death to be either dramatic or quick. This just seemed sordidly natural.

A slight sound caught Naraku's attention. He narrowed his eyes as he swung around to meet the noise. Tiny zaps, and then the sound of something small falling to the crushed leaves. It was his Samiyosho. They were being affected by Asuka's aura. With each inch, the Samiyosho were incinerated, falling like dust towards the ground.

_Curse it all._

Naraku remained on his path as he tuned out the noise of his tiny followers' demise. _I am almost there. I wonder if he remembers me? _Naraku wondered as that familiar, sadistic smirk claimed his face. _We shall see, Old Friend. _And with that, Naraku disappeared further into the Demon's aura, his chuckle fading in after him.

After a little more than an hour, Naraku faced the familiar cave entrance from Kanna's mirror. The smell of death was enough to wrinkle Naraku's nose and amplify that small temptation in the back of his head to turn back the way he came. Why has he spent so much effort over one girl? Disrespectful wench.

He hesitated outside of the barrier. His thoughts streaming incoherently while he stood witness to a legend. The hues of the land taunted him, almost testing to see how far he would go. The bristle of dead leaves whispered for him to continue, daring his pride.

He heard a hoarse cough.

"Asuka." Naraku ventured calmly. "Bring down your barrier, I seek answers."

The air shifted when Naraku caught the demon's attention. The gray contrast of his surroundings shifted in a wave of green when the barrier was relinquished.

"Come." A raspy, old voice answered. Even in his weakened tone, Asuka's presence demanded a level of respect. Of fear.

The right side of Naraku's lips quirked up in a quick smirk as he stepped over the invisible line. He followed the trail of waste and fog until he was confronted with the frail demon sitting on the filthy dirt. Asuka was sitting in a traditionally meditative pose. Without opening his eyes he whispered Naraku's name.

"Ah, so you've heard of me," Naraku said, not bothering to keep the satisfaction out of his voice. "I'm flattered."

"I suppose you should be, your destruction is known throughout these lands." Asuka answered. His voice reminded Naraku of a sickly father lying atop his deathbed. Knowledgeable, yet weak.

Asuka made a sniffing noise and turned his full attention upon the half-demon. A quick laugh stifled by a cough erupted from Asuka's raspy throat. "You travel far, old friend. For a human, nonetheless?" It wasn't a question. It was a statement. Naraku's eyes narrowed at the passive accusation. "You speak well for a man with no tongue." He replied curtly.

Asuka laughed again. "You should know well, young one, I am no man." There was no malice in his voice, only a fatherly censure.

Naraku nodded a brief nod. "Yes, I do." He replied quietly.

The Great Demon inhaled a shaky breath and focused once more on Naraku. "I cannot tell you, my friend, what you wish to hear. Your prejudice and your apathy will not allow you to understand. Allow me to bestow upon you the gift of her sight. A temporary gift. Are you willing to sacrifice a few moments of your time and your mind for her? If so, step forward and see what she sees." Asuka remained in his meditative pose. A knowing look stained his face. Even with no eyes, he could see this young half-demon's desire. A newborn confusion and inquisition bore in him the moment that young girl entered his existence.

_Oh, to be alive. _

"Show me." Naraku demanded quietly.

And Asuka did. He showed him everything.


	27. Chapter 26 Asuka of the Sight

Naraku lay crumpled on the unforgiving dirt, his arms itching to clutch his stomach. _The pain, it's too much. _He thought wretchedly.

He lay panting, trying desperately to regain his hardened composure. Asuka showed him what Faith saw and vaguely described what was going to happen. He managed to leave out the mind-numbing pain that seemed to accompany these said visions.

After a painfully drawn out five minutes had passed, Naraku regained his control and slowly edged his way up off of the ground. Grey dirt painted his attire and his palms were bloodied from the fall. He thought he should worry about the molded dirt seeping into the wounds, but he decided he could tend to such a small inconvenience when he was not in the presence of a Great Demon.

When he straightened, he fixed his glare upon the eyeless demon. Accusation burned from beneath his eyelids as he regulated his breathing.

Asuka merely chuckled in response to his intimidations.

"I did warn you," his raspy voice struggled out, "I did tell you it would be … uncomfortable." Asuka paused to emphasize the amusement in his voice. The emotion fled the half-demon's face. "Yes," he said slowly, "it was _very_ uncomfortable."

Asuka shook his head and chuckled once more. "My boy, I did tell you. You needed to see what the human saw and you needed to feel what the human felt. Your hard head does not understand anything other than experience." Naraku's eyes narrowed at the demon. The Demon was belittling him as if he were his child. He especially didn't the like the 'My Boy' comment.

"And you would know this …?" Naraku taunted.

Asuka grunted. Well, tried to grunt. It came out a guttural cough. Again.

"I do not play games, _Naraku_." He stretched Naraku's name sardonically. "I am old and I am far beyond this struggle between powers. I know of what you once were, I cannot forget one such as you, Onigumo. I know you. I know how you perceive the world. I may be old, but all I have left is my memory. This frail mind no longer sees anything execpt for the past."

Naraku's eyes widened at the Demon's remembrance.

"What does that have to do with anyth…" Naraku started before Asuka held up his hand passively to silence him.

"You will know your place with me, Onigumo. As you did when you came to me so many years ago. I am the greater being here. You acknowledged that when you sought my aid. You will know what you wish to and then you will use it however you see fit." The demon had to pause as he inhaled shakily, the sockets where his eyes should have been shrunk sizably as if he winced in pain.

"The pain you felt, that is the very pain she feels after and before every vision. The vision you saw was in confidence. I do not know what you have seen merely because I do not wish to. I have my own misery, I do not need yours. I can tell you, however, I can smell the different emotions on you, Half-Demon. Your confusion, your hatred. But even under all of your malice you know there is some alien concept snaking around in your greedy gut. A concept you confuse with weakness, and a concept I have many a time witnessed, but never felt. I can also smell her. Her desperation clings to you much like the dirt on your knees. And that same lingering emotion that you despise coats her as well. Whatever the vision may have been … whatever the urgency that stemmed from it, know that you are NOT a demon. Do not alienate yourself as one."

"Bastard …" Naraku growled darkly. "I am the Demon Naraku. Do not lower me by such accusations."

Asuka slammed his frail wrist into the ground, the sound of bone in competition with the soft thud of old dirt.

"I am Asuka of the Sight!" he roared. "You will **not** disrespect me. I know you! I can see you with my sight," he said hysterically as he gestured towards his moldering forehead. "I am not a weak demon that you can dismiss with arrogance. You will not bear false judgment to my truth, Half-Demon. I have given you what I can, I have given you what you have asked of me. Go. I cast you out for the second time in your life, Onigumo. You were never welcome here."

Naraku's eyes widened as the "Legend" slumped over from exhaustion. His words were powerful in meaning but weak in deliverance. Naraku could hear his labored breathing and he could smell his desolation.

He gave a small nod and even though Asuka had no eyes and he was facing the ground, Naraku knew that he saw it.

Asuka was right. He gave him what he wanted. He now knew.

_I have to find her _He thought resolutely.


	28. Chapter 27 and it starts

"Look, Inuyasha … if we're going to be friends … you're going to have to slow _down." _Faith gasped, hunched over and hands on her knees.

"Feh, get a grip, _human_," he joked, "I thought you said you could handle it?"

Faith looked up at the half-demon contemptuously, " … jerk …" she grumbled. She stood to her full height and threw a rock at him. "Mean thoughts, buddy … oh, yeah. Very mean. Beware of the evil thoughts a-brewin'."

We've been walking fo-r-e-v-er and I'm not even sure he has any clue where he's going, stupid Hanyou. I stink, I want a bath and I keep jumping every time I hear a sound. This. Sucks. Oh, yeah … and the mutt keeps bring up the whole "Naraku" thing. Like it's some kind of big deal or something. Which is so totally is NOT. At all, nothing. Blip in history. Sooo over it. This is us moving on. Not ever mentioning again. Because it was nothing. Just a blip thing.

"So … uh, Faith?" Inuyasha ventured quietly. Faith startled and stared up at him warily. "Yeah?" She drew out.

"What happened back there, exactly? I know you said you didn't want to talk about it and all but we've been traveling for days and you **still** smell like that Bastard Naraku."

She let out a drawn out sigh, looking down at her mud-encased bare feet. "Dude … I don't know why. Lay off, would ya?" That last bit might have come out a little sharper than intended, but what's a girl to do?

He threw his hands up in mock surrender "Hey, now! What are you getting all defensive for? I'm just askin'!"

She let out a sigh of frustration, her fingers edging toward the holster around her for comfort.

"Do you even KNOW where we're going? I can't believe you just left everybody behind like that, you big asshole. And Kagome? She's probably pissing a stream of worry right about now. I repeat what I said earlier. You're a Jerk." She jabbed her finger accusingly into the center of his chest. He grabbed her arm and whipped her around to face him. "Well, I wouldn't have had to leave everybody behind if you weren't so busy trying to get yourself killed all the damned time. What is it with you humans, anyway?? You _knew _what could've happened and you went anyway with that coward Kagura. If anybody's the Jerk, it's you." "Wow, did you practice that rant on your way 'rescuing' me or do you actually have thoughts trying to escape that empty head of yours?""Hey!" he shoved her back towards the base of the big tree behind her, corning her. "Hey, back, moron!" she yelled right back.

"What's your deal, anyway!? I'm just trying to help!" He protested, "Help yourself, Mutt!" She yelled back. "What's your problem!?" "You are, Inuyasha! This whole time is my problem. I don't even know why I came back here, there's no point. This is stupid. I'm a stupid masochist. Big pile of stupid, right over here. Sensei was right, I'm not doing anything by being here." He just blinked at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked gently.

"Oh, so now you're going to cut me some slack?" He thoughtfully took her hand and pulled her to him. "Hey, come on. You don't need to be thinking that way. I don't know what happened up there but I know I'm glad you're here. And Miroku needs somebody to knock some sense into that old lecher." Faith slipped her hand out of Inuyasha's hold and begrudgingly crossed her arms protectively over her chest. Which is hard to do, considering the holster, which was threatening to suffocate her via her armpits. "Quit being nice; that's what Sango's there for. For the Great Beating-o-Sense to the pervert." He chuckled, "HA, yeah but you scare the crap out of him." He paused, "Plus, I know Kagome likes you. You're not that bad once you get past the stench."

At the mention of Kagome, Faith felt a tinge of guilt and an even smaller tinge of jealousy.

"I don't know how you can smell me over your nasty ass. I swear; it's going to be death by smell over here in a minute." She smirked and squashed down the guilt. She added, "God, you're such a mush ball. You're like a puppy." His eyes bulged out which made her smirk turn into full-blown laugher. "Hey!?" He whined, "I'm not a DOG!" He pushed her over on the ground and sat cross-legged on her stomach, picking dirt out of his claws. "Get off, you're fat!" She jokingly protested. As a response, he started whistling. "Sorry, human, did you say something?" She kicked her leg up and tried to push him off … "Get off!! I can't breathe with your bony butt in my gut!" He stretched his arms over his head and let out a big yawn, "Boy, it sure is nice sitting down …" She grunted, "Don't make me tickle you, dog-breath!" He got up in a blink of an eye and was behind the tree, "Like you could!" He declared, chest puffed up in pride. She got up and shifted the dirt and dead leaves off of her pants, laughing. "That's it, now I'm just going to have to kick your ass. You asked for it, Mutt." The challenge was on, "Like you could!"

Nearby, Naraku witnessed the scene, his mind spurning with a variety of emotions having not been evident since his days as Onigumo. His heart beat widely at the smile on her face, his duel natures competing for dominance. The aftermath of the pain from his visit with the Fallen God has begun to fade and all he could think about is how to get her back within his grasp. For what purpose has yet to be decided. He only knew that he needed the how, the why would come later.


	29. Chapter 28 I know

The steam rose in enticing tendrils, curling her hair and settling against her skin. Faith gingerly laid her head against the rough surface of the cliff's edge while her body took in the comfort of a stray spring.

They've been traveling for a little over four nights, now. Exchanging casual banter, jokes and attempts at escaping the inevitable conversation. Yet, throughout the journey, Faith couldn't help shaking the feeling that they were being watched. More importantly, she couldn't shake the feeling of _who_ was watching her.

This was the first chance at solitude that she's had since fleeing Naraku's castle. Two sides of her brain were warring with one another; one telling her to go back … to explore what she couldn't disregard. The other, some would argue the more logical side of her twisted brain, told her to continue with Inuyasha to meet with the others.

Both sides were currently enjoying this mini-spa treatment she made for herself.

* * *

Inuyasha sat observantly at the highest point he could find, his eyes constantly scanning the coming darkness for the first sign of an incoming threat.

He let out a tension-releasing sigh, giving in to the scents around him. The moon was making an appearance, giving the dew-covered grass a serene appearance. A mixture of sounds surrounded him, giving him something new to concentrate on.

He let Faith find the spring he could smell nearby. He knew she needed some space. The longer they traveled, the more agitated and jumpy she seemed to get.

'_That Naraku, I know he did something. What's that demon up to?! Why can't she just tell me?! I can take it, and that bastard ain't ever gonna lay a finger on her again if I have anything to say about it." _His thoughts rumbled together until they started to piece together. Bits of concerns and annoyances mending to form one consistent accusation; _"No …" _His eyes widened in a potential epiphany, horror etching his expression as soon as the thought came to him.

One fist clenched at his side while the other gripped menacingly on his Father's sword.

"_He didn't …"_

* * *

"I guess I should get out," Faith drawled, further procrastinating getting out into the increasingly colder air. She sat up and reached for her clothes, her slick fingers nearly dropping everything she touched.

She stood at the base of the spring; shirt clutched tightly to the front her body. When she moved to turn towards the edge, her ankle made a sickening crack as it fell into the crevice. "Motherfuc…" She yelled, cut off when a strong hand grabbed her wrist and wretched her out of the water.

She looked up to see Inuyasha holding her wrist as she dropped her clothes and nearly fell when trying to put her weight on her broken ankle.

"Oh my god! Don't look, don't look, don't look, don't look" she repeated manically to herself. And to anybody with in 3 miles of her.

She looked up at him, "Do something, oh my god. It's gross, ow, ow, ow, ow … OW!" She yelled louder when he bent down and yanked her leg out. "What the fuck, mutt!?" Do I need to say it's hard looking menacing when looking UP at somebody? Especially when said person is wet, cold, shivering and nine kinds of panicking.

He looked down at her, his eyes giving everything away. He growled deep in his throat. "Quit bein' so stupid and you wouldn't have fell!" She moved to bat him away from touching her now searing leg again when he used his foot to hold her down. "Stop moving, would ya!?"

He would have been gentler but his blood was hot. He was so angry he couldn't see straight. So much to the point that he couldn't tell whom he was angrier with. He ripped off a piece of red fabric and tossed it towards her face, "Bite this," he said savagely. Her eyes widened to the point where it was almost comical. "Wha!? No, NO way. Don't you touch me! Mutt, if you do it, I'll hunt your ass down and kill you!" He bent down during her rant and shoved the crude fabric in between her teeth. She thrashed, grumbled, grumbly cursed and thrashed some more. He grabbed her foot with his right hand cradling the Achilles heel and TWISTED. Hard.

The cloth mostly muffled her scream but tears were streaming mercilessly down her face. He just stared at her, partly confused but mostly apathetic. His eyes roamed her body but there was nothing sensuous about it. His mind imagined what happened to it and it only increased his anger.

"It's fixed," he said quietly.

"Don't you EVER do that again, that fucking hurt! Bleeding I can deal with, but holy crap … ow!"

She continued ranting, her mind racing and her leg throbbing as her abused ankle creaked in protest.

She looked down at it and the bottom of her foot was once again pointing towards the ground … where it's supposed to.

She let out a little whine.

"That really hurt …" she bit out.

"Yeah …" he muttered in response.

For the first time, she looked up at the hanyou and noticed his conflicting appearance. His voice was quiet, subdued – but his eyes were burning.

"Dude … what's up? You ok in there?" She panted out.

He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. Instead, he spun on his heel and in the next instant he was back on his spot at the top of the tree.

She blinked up at him, completely confused.

"Inuyasha?" she ventured tentatively.

He lifted his chin and grunted in response.

"Uh, hello!? Earth to Mutt: what's gotten into you? In case you haven't noticed, I'm the one with the throbbing injury over here."

"I know what happened …" he threw down quietly. If she weren't straining to pay attention, she wouldn't have even heard him.

A cold chill ran down her spine as she asked her next question.

"You know what happened?"

"Guess …"

"Just tell me, Inuyasha. What do you think happened?" She said, her nerves making her impatient.

"I know why you smell like that bastard …" he gritted, each word becoming harder to choke out.

She remained quiet. Her first thought was to repeat the previous argument but she knew by his tone that he wasn't buying her shit anymore.

He grunted, jumping down to land in front of her. By this point, she had already gotten dressed … her pink hair hung lifelessly around her neutral expression.

"Just go." He said simply.

"Inuyasha …"

"Feh, don't bother, _human._" He looked at her and a part of him just gave up. The look on his face sank into her gut. So many people in her life have given her that same look. Angry, hurt, betrayed … disappointed.

This time when he turned to leave, he just kept walking.


End file.
